African regional mediators pushing for final peace deal in Sudan
NAIROBI, April 21 (Xinhua) — African regional mediators are pushing for the stalled Sudan peace talks in order to make the final deal as quickly as possible, Kenyan official disclosed here Wednesday.
“I, together with my colleagues from Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti, are working round the clock to see if we can have the agreement signed by Sudanese parties very soon,” Kenyan Minister for Foreign Affairs Kalonzo Musyoka told reporters in Nairobi.
Kenyan Special Envoy for Peace in the Sudan and Chief Mediator Lazoro Sumbeiywo also briefed the regional ministers early Wednesday on the Sudan peace talks, saying that the two sides, the Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s liberation Army (SPLA),are very close to clinching a deal.
“We are basically waiting for (Sudanese First Vice President Ali Osman) Taha to join (SPLA leader John) Garang to be able to get the deal finally,” Musyoka said.
Meanwhile, an Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)official who declined to be identified told Xinhua that mediators are planning to call a regional summit if the peace talks remain deadlocked, saying that “if the (Sudanese) government and the rebel SPLA fail to reach a peace deal soon, then we shall organize an IGAD summit over the issue.”
The development came as the same day United States officials said President George W. Bush is unhappy at “stagnant” peace talks between Khartoum and SPLA.
Bush could slap sanctions on Khartoum or move toward cutting back US support for the SPLA if either is found not to be negotiating in good faith.
The Sudanese civil war started as the SPLA took up arms fighting for self-determination in the southern part of the country in 1983.
The conflict has left some 2 million people dead, mostly through war-induced famine and disease.
The Sudanese government and the SPLA began peace talks in March1994 in Kenya, aimed at ending the longest civil war on the continent, under the auspices of IGAD, a seven-member regional group in east Africa, consisting of Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Uganda, Eritrea, Somalia and the Sudan.
Kenya is holding the current chairmanship of the IGAD ministerial sub-committee on the Sudan.
During this round of talks, expected to be the last one, Taha and Garang have been negotiating in Naivasha, some 90 kilometers northwest of the capital Nairobi since February this year, aiming at ending the longest civil war on the African continent.
However, the issue of Islamic law in the Sudanese capital is the latest issue blocking the signing of the final deal.
“The main point that has stalled the talks is the laws to govern Khartoum. The government insists that everyone must be subjected to Sharia law. We on the other hand are advocating for Sharia law for the Muslims and secular laws for the non-Muslims,” SPLA Spokesman Yasser Arman told Xinhua.