U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is visiting the world's newest country, South Sudan, which split from former civil war foe Sudan last year, to press its leaders and their counterparts in the north to resolve differences that threaten to re-ignite civil war.
Clinton arrived Friday in South Sudan's capital of Juba for a brief visit to congratulate the new nation and offer U.S. support, but, more importantly, to stress the urgency of ending disputes with Sudan over oil and territory.
Those disputes have led to clashes between the two countries that many fear could kill the 2005 peace deal that ended a long-running civil war.
Clinton is due to meet President Salva Kiir and Foreign Minister Nhial Deng Nhial on the three-hour long trip,
The two sides had faced a Thursday U.N. Security Council deadline to reach agreement on the issues or face possible sanctions. But the council deferred action until at least Wednesday.
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