Cairo peace agreement to be signed tomorrow – Sudanese opposition

CAIRO, June 17, 2005 (Sudan Tribune) — The chairman of the opposition National Democratic Alliance, Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani announced today that a final agreement between the Sudanese government and the NDA will be signed tomorrow, Saturday June 18.

Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani (L), NDA leader, and John Garang, chairman of the SPLM during a meeting of NDA direction in Cairo.

He further said the committees working on the arrangement have completed their work.

The first vice-president, Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, has at his residence in Cairo, held talks with the chairman of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani, the Sudanese radio reported today.

Al-Mirghani pointed out that the meeting with the first vice-president was held in the framework of putting more impetus aimed at realizing success in the efforts being put and make further progress.

A final agreement would put an end to the exile of the NDA and pave the way for the inclusion of NDA parties in the Sudanese unity government to be formed by August 9, in line with the peace deal signed in January between Khartoum and southern rebels.

The SPLM, a former southern rebel movement and NDA member, signed a peace agreement with Khartoum in January that ended more than two decades of a north-south conflict which claimed more than 1.5 million lives.

The final agreement was scheduled to be signed on Thursday June 16, but it is adjourned to Saturday to give negotiators more time to finalize military aspects and settle a mechanism for the implementation of the agreement.