Egypt to sponsor peace talks between Sudanese govt, opposition

CAIRO, June 7, 2005 (Xinhua) — Egypt is to host the final and decisive round of negotiations on Sunday between the Sudanese government and an umbrella opposition group, an opposition leader said here Tuesday.

“A meeting will take place on June 12 between the Sudanese government and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA),” NDA deputy leader Abdel Rahman el-Saeed told reporters.

A three-way meeting will be held on June 15, which will be attended by Sudanese First Vice President Ali Taha, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement leader John Garang and NDA Chairman Mohammad Osman al-Merghani, to work out final details of a reconciliation agreement, he added.

The deal, dubbed as the Cairo agreement, will probably be signed on June 18 at an official ceremony, said el-Saeed.

The Sudanese government and the NDA initialled the reconciliation agreement on Jan. 16 following a series of talks under the auspices of the Egyptian government.