Sudan’s Kiir summons LRA rebels over talks deadlock

Aug 11, 2006 (JUBA) — South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir summoned representatives of the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels on Friday in an apparent bid to break a deadlock that has paralysed peace talks with Ugandan negotiators.

The discussions mediated by Kiir’s regional government stalled this week after the LRA declared a ceasefire and refused to attend more talks unless Uganda’s government followed suit.

“We have received a message from the president of the government of southern Sudan asking us to go for a meeting at his presidential palace,” LRA spokesman Obonyo Olweny told Reuters before the rebel delegates left to meet Kiir.

Olweny said he did not know the topic of the meeting, but observers said the southern president was likely to explore ways of getting both sides back to the negotiating table.

Kampala says it will only sign a ceasefire as part of a comprehensive peace agreement, saying the elusive guerrilla group has used previous truces to regroup, recruit and re-arm.

South Sudan’s government says it wants to broker an end to the LRA’s 20-year insurrection, which has uprooted nearly two million people in northern Uganda and destabilised south Sudan.

(Reuters)