Sudan denies slowness in implementation of peace deal

KHARTOUM, Mar 11, 2005 (Sudan Tribune) — Sudanese government has ruled out that the negative statements being exchanged between the two parties of the Nairobi peace agreement would undermine the implementation of the peace agreement itself, but it did not rule out, however, that there are other factors which might jeopardize it.

A Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement supporter dances while holding SPLM flag in Naivasha, Kenya, Friday, Dec. 31, 2004. (AP).

The peace treaty between southern rebels and the Khartoum government signed on Sunday January 9, 2005 ended 21 devastating years of war that claimed at least 1.5 million lives and displaced another four million people.

Amin Ahmed Omar, a member of the government negotiation team, said a SPLM’s advanced-team would arrive in Khartoum next week.

In a statement upon arrival from Nairobi last evening, he denied that the SPLM was dragging its feet on the implementation of the agreement.

He said things were progressing as planned, and that if there was slowness it could be due to either logistics or to the SPLM own pace.

He also said that the meeting of the main coordinating group, which includes the government and SPLM, was held in Nairobi and prepared a report on Sudan’s estimate cost of reconstruction and development in post-war Sudan, and that such a report would be presented to Oslo’s Donor Conference.

Material provided by the BBC Monitoring Service.