20110629
xinhua
DUBAI, June 28 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan has chosen the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the destination to establish its first embassy in the Gulf Arab region, with the aim of boosting trade relations between the two sides, the vice president of South Sudan 's government said Tuesday.

Riek Machar, who is on a two-day visit to the UAE, said his government will also open a trade representative office in Dubai, the region's financial and trade hub, to promote the trade development in South Sudan, according to the state news agency WAM.

He said the Gulf nation, a financial and economic powerhouse, will host an investment conference with South Sudan in October, adding that a number of South Sudan's ministers and UAE officials are expected to attend the meeting.

There are untapped investment opportunities in South Sudan, including tourism, transportation, oil industry and energy projects, from which the UAE investors could benefit, the vice president said.

During the visit, which came days ahead of the scheduled declaration of South Sudan's independence on July 9, he held meetings with a number of senior UAE officials, he said.

"The talks tackled ways to boost cooperation between the UAE and the government of South Sudan. People of South Sudan look forward to building stronger ties with the UAE," he said, noting that his government has planned to launch an air route between Juba, the capital of South Sudan, and the UAE.

On the North-South relations, he said South Sudan hopes for better trade relations and free border movement for people from both sides.

"The stability is essential for both sides. About one third of the Sudanese people live across the North-South borders, the home of oil and vast agricultural resources, so there is a need for stability for both sides," he said.

The current talks between the two sides in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa focus on creating safe zones that will attract investment at the border area, he said.