Courtesy-of-nyamile.com

The office of the President says the IGAD Mediation team is free to include the former seven detainees into the second round of the negotiations.

The seven former detainees said they will participate in the talks as an independent group in order to increase chances of finding a lasting solution.

The press secretary in the office of the President, Ateny Wek Ateny, said President Salva Kiir, respects the decision of the mediation team, ….”according to the President, the mediators are free because you cannot hamper a mediation effort if they think that these people would be useful at any event, then, the mediators are free to give them whatever position they want to put them in. the information we have got from Addis Ababa is that they neither want to be with government nor with the rebels, and of course this is their freedom because nobody pushes you to where you don’t want to be.”

Mr. Wek also said the government is waiting for what the mediation team will decide regarding the participation of the former detainees.

The seven politicians who were released by the government last month arrived in Addis Ababa on Thursday, and said they would help in the negotiation for a political settlement of the crisis in South Sudan.