New Delhi
7 July 2011
Vice President Hamid Ansari will represent India at the inauguration of the independent state of South Sudan on Saturday.
The people of South Sudan had overwhelmingly voted for independence from the north, in the referendum that was held on January 9 this year.
Mr Ansari would visit Kampala, in Uganda, on his way to and from South Sudan. During his stay in Kampala, he would meet with President Yoweri Museveni.
India has been one of the largest contributor of troops to the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) in addition to lending police officers to both UNMIS and the government of South Sudan.
India recently pledged five million US dollars (over Rs 22 crore) for development assistance of South Sudan and capacity building projects.
The formal ceremony proclaiming the independence of South Sudan would be held in its capital, Juba.
The three-hour long ceremony will be attended by a host of world leaders, including UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and US foreign minister Hillary Clinton.
Mr Ansari is expected to announce that the Indian consulate in Juba will be upgraded to an embassy soon.
India has stakes in South Sudan's oil wells, and Mr Ansari would be keen to hear from the government of South Sudan about their fate.
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