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Uganda And Sudan To Restore Diplomatic Relations
KAMPALA, May 12 (News Agencies) - Uganda and Sudan are to restore diplomatic relations, which were broken off in 1995 after both countries accused each other of backing groups hostile to their respective governments, Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni said Saturday.
"I'm ready to restore diplomatic relations with Sudan at the level of charge d'affaires," Museveni said in a speech after he took the oath to lead his country for another five-year term. He was reelected in presidential polls held on March 12th.
Museveni's inauguration was witnessed by presidents Omar el-Beshir of Sudan, Daniel arap Moi of Kenya, Pierre Buyoya of Burundi, Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania and Libya's leader Colonel Moamer Kadhafi.
Khartoum had accused Uganda of supporting the southern Sudanese rebel group, the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA), while Uganda in turn accused Sudan of supporting and harboring the Lords Resistance Army (LRA).
Beshir and Museveni last met in December 1999 in Nairobi, where they signed an accord aimed at working towards restoring diplomatic relations, but few of whose measures were fully implemented.
These included a pledge by Uganda to hand back Sudanese prisoners of war, and one by Sudan to return to Uganda all children abducted by the LRA.
Kampala later complained that Khartoum had failed to keep its side of the deal.
Museveni, who introduced Beshir to a cheering crowd at Kololo airstrip in Kampala, the venue of the investiture, said that he had been persuaded to give a chance to solving bilateral problems with Sudan by Khadafi.
Khadafi visited Sudan earlier this week in a bid revive the Nairobi accord between Uganda and Sudan.
"We have had very strained relations with Sudan for a long time," Museveni said, adding that Khadafi had persuaded him "give a chance to bilateral problems and the whole problem of war in the area".
"To resolve our problems we seek for further [diplomatic] relations," he added.
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