Sudan close to final peace deal | |
http://www.sina.com.cn 2004/05/28 11:43 Shanghai Daily | |
Mediators consulted with Sudan's government and southern rebels yesterday to plan the final phase of talks to end Africa's longest war, hours after the warring parties resolved several key issues needed for a final peace deal. The sides signed three protocols late on Wednesday in meetings near Nairobi, Kenya, on power-sharing and the administration of three disputed areas in central Sudan. All that remains for the two sides to work out are procedural matters to end the 21-year civil war, in which more than 2 million people have perished, mainly through war-induced famine. "The next step will entail negotiations on the detail of each step of the transition," chief mediator Lazaro Sumbeiywo said. "I am going to meet these groups now." Sayed el-Khatib, a Sudanese government negotiator, said he hoped a final deal could be signed by June. The accord is unrelated to a 15-month insurgency in the Darfur region of western Sudan, where fighting between the government and rebels has raised fears of ethnic cleansing and made 1 million people homeless. El-Khatib said the government hoped the deal with the southern rebels could help build trust with the western insurgents. The Sudanese government and the rebels had earlier agreed on how to share the wealth in Africa's largest country and what to do with their armed forces during a six-year transition period. Talks stalled recently as the parties wrangled over power in a transitional government; whether the capital, Khartoum, should be governed under Islamic law; and how the central regions should be administered during the transition. In Wednesday's protocols, they agreed the rebels and other southern groups would have 30 percent of positions in national and state administrations in the north, while the government and northern groups will have 70 percent, el-Khatib said. In southern Sudan, the rebels will have 70 percent of positions and the government 30 percent, he said. Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir will remain as head of state during the interim period, while rebel leader John Garang will become first vice president, el-Khatib said. (The Associated Press)
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