Sudanese govt, SPLM/A close to peace deal

KHARTOUM, Sudan, May 6, 2004 (PANA) — A peace deal was now closer than ever yet in the protracted negotiations between Khartoum and the separatist Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), press reports quoted inside sources as hinting at the venue of the talks in Naivasha, Kenya.

Optimism heightened after the mediating Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) came up with framework agreements on the power sharing and on the three disputed regions of Nuba Mountains, Blue Nile and Abyei.

Another agreement mooted by the mediating body relates to the controversy over whether Islamic law would indiscriminately apply in Khartoum during an envisaged six-year transition period when the city will serve as joint capital prior to a referendum on self-determination for the south.

Pundits expect the three draft agreements to pave the way for a comprehensive peace accord.

Khartoum newspapers quoted SPLM/A leader John Garang as affirming Wednesday that “the two parties have agreed upon most of outstanding issues.”

The parties have already agreed on the status of their military and security forces during the transitional period, with the SPLM/A objecting to any integration into the national army.

They also agreed upon two vice presidents, provided the first comes from the SPLM/A.

Sudanese papers said IGAD would receive the final draft agreement latest Friday, and that should the belligerents thrash out differences over the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains, a final deal might be struck as early as this weekend.

The peace talks in Naivasha do not cover a separate conflict in the region of Western Darfur, where about 10,000 people have been killed and 750,000 displaced.