Egypt has said it welcomes South Sudan's signing of a peace accord on Wednesday which brings to an end almost two years of civil war,urging concerned parties to accomodate reservations about some parts of the deal. President Salva Kiir signed the agreement after his country faced threat of international sanctions, but issued a list of serious reservations his government has about the accord. The UN Security Council on Wednesday had given Kiir until 1 September to "get fully behind a peace deal." Rebel leader Riek Machar has also signed the accord. The Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement Thursday that it welcomes the move but urged involved parties and sponsoring countries to direct "sufficient attention to concerns and reservations over some articles of the deal." “Achieving the deal's objectives and restoring peace and stability in South Sudan won't happen with the signing alone but with political will from all sides to work together and prioritise the homeland and achieve the best interests to the people of South Sudan," foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said. The deal, which was welcomed by other regional leaders, was brokered by the regional eight-nation IGAD bloc, along with the UN, the African Union, China, Britain, Norway and the United States. Tens of thousands of people are thought to have died in the fighting that erupted in 2013 and split the country along ethnic lines. South Sudan is the world's newest country,having seceded from Sudan in 2011. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/139086.aspx
