Vice President Assures Southern Sudan of Continued Support

Liberia Government (Monrovia)

27 May 2011

Liberian Vice President Joseph N. Boakai, Sr., has assured the people of Southern Sudan of the Liberian Government’s continued support.

“We will always stand by you. We will always be there with you because our destinies are tied together,” Vice President Boakai said.

Vice President Boakai made the remarks on Friday, May 27, when the visiting Southern Sudanese delegation accompanied by Deputy Foreign Minister Dr. Mohammed Sheriff, paid a courtesy call on him at his Capitol Building office.

The delegation, headed by Southern Sudanese Health Minister Dr. Luka Monoja, is in the country to hand deliver an invitation to the Liberian Government to attend the celebration of South Sudanese Independence Day on July 9, 2011.

Vice President Boakai said he looked forward to further strengthening of the bilateral relations between Southern Sudan and Liberia which date back a long time ago, noting that several Southern Sudanese students attended the University of Liberia in the 1960s..

He expressed regret for the recent attack on the people of Abyei, and challenged Southern Sudanese not to be distracted by anything in their determination to chart their own destiny.

Vice President Boakai commended the Southern Sudanese for voting in favor of separation in the referendum, and hoped international support to Southern Sudan would continue to enable the people of this country build their infrastructure and capacities to enable them determine their future.

He also challenged Southern Sudanese to hold together and build their country.

Briefing Vice President Boakai earlier, the head of the Sudanese delegation, Dr. Monoja hailed Liberia-Southern Sudan ties which, he said, date back to the 1960s when Liberia stood by Southern Sudan in its quest for self-determination.

He said he was here to extend an invitation to the Liberian leadership to grace the country’s independence celebration on July 9. “Liberia has been with us morally and physically since we started our struggle for independence since the 1960s, and one of the persons to share the joy of our independence with is the President of Liberia, Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.”

Dr. Monoja commended President Johnson Sirleaf for the strides she is making in the recovery and development of post-war Liberia. “We have been inspired by the leadership of President Johnson Sirleaf. We are impressed with the way she has steered this country. She is a role model for our women. She is a leader,” he concluded.

The delegation which arrived in the country on Thursday, May 26, leaves the country on Saturday, May 28. Other members of the Sudanese delegation include Madam Grace Imme J. Datiro, State Minister of Foreign Affairs of Southern Sudan and Mr. James Boi Telar, Director of the Office of the President of Southern Sudan.

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