Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir came to the southern capital of Juba for talks on Tuesday, five days before residents in the oil-rich south are widely expected to vote for independence from the north. Bashir arrived in a suit but donned traditional southern robes when he descended from the plane.
Bashir is expected to discuss several issues with southern Sudanese leaders, including the status of the disputed border region of Abyei. South Sudan's Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin said that southerners should welcome the president's visit after Bashir said earlier this week that he would be the first to recognize an independent south.
