Arab League says South Sudan entitled to join organization

Cairo, July 9 (Petra) — The Arab League said on Saturday the new independent republic of South Sudan which seceded from the North today is entitled to be a fully-fledged member of the pan-Arab organisation.

Deputy secretary general Ahmad Bin Hilli said the league’s charter stipulates that member nations’ constitutions should embrace Arabic as their official language, a criteria which, he said, South Sudan met.

But he said South Sudan’s joining the league hinged on the political will of the new-born state’s leadership.

Hilli commented after the speaker of South Sudan’s legislature formally proclaimed independence for the world’s newest nation during a ceremony in its capital, Juba. The country’s flag was officially raised for the first time.

The league’s secretariat also expressed confidence that South Sudan would build peaceful and good neighbourly relations with the Khartoum government based on constructive cooperation and common bonds, interests and security and within their regional Arab and African environment.

It said in a statement that the league was confident that North and South Sudan would settle all outstanding issues between them, reiterating its support of peace and rebuilding efforts to fulfill the aspirations of Northern and Southern Sudanese.