The Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission is holding an emergency meeting with all parties to the peace agreement to discuss new proposals by the international community for the return of Dr Riek Machar.

JMEC Chairperson Festus Mogae did not reveal the new proposals. But he said they were developed to resolve contentious issues delaying the return of the First Vice President-designate.

Dr Riek had earlier committed himself to arrive in Juba on the 18th of this week, which passed on Monday. But he is yet to arrive.

The government and the SPLM in Opposition are yet to agree on the number of people to accompany Dr Riek to Juba.

Mr Mogae says the new proposals were formulated in a joint effort with regional facilitators of the South Sudan peace agreement.

“As a result of the event of this week, the regional partners/ guarantors, and the international representatives met most of the day yesterday, and by the close of day they communicated to me; that I should be on standby, because they were going to deliver some proposals intended to resolves some of the outstanding issues,” he said.

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development, IGAD, is the main facilitator of the South Sudan peace agreement within the region.

The meeting was attended by representatives from the government, opposition, the civil society and religious leaders among others.

Ambassadors and other members of foreign missions were also in attendance.