Sudanese peace talks to resume Nov. 30, rebel leader says
CAIRO, Egypt, Nov 10, 2003 (AP) — Talks aimed at achieving peace in civil war-ravaged Sudan will resume on Nov. 30 in Kenya, an official from the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army told reporters Monday.
Salva Kiir headed a delegation to talks in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa. Kiir invited Moussa to attend the talks when the resume at the end of the month.
SPLA forces have been fighting troops of the Khartoum-based government since 1983, seeking autonomy over southern areas in the African continent’s largest country. The war has claimed more than 2 million lives, mainly because of war-induced famine. The conflict is also driven by competition over oil wells and land.
After more than a year of talks, a breakthrough was achieved in September when the Islamic-oriented government agreed to allow the SPLA to retain its force in the south, the main area of conflict, for a six-year transitional period.
Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir said Sunday that peace talks to end the war could resume early despite lingering mistrust between the northern and southern negotiators.
El-Bashir told pan-Arab television network Al-Arabiya that negotiations in Kenya to solve the key remaining issues – wealth and power sharing and administering three disputed areas in central Sudan – could start earlier than the scheduled date of Dec. 1.
After meeting Sudanese government and rebel officials in late October, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said the warring parties had agreed to remain in negotiations and “conclude a comprehensive settlement no later than the end of December.”
Powell said Washington would consider normalizing relations with Khartoum if a comprehensive deal is concluded. America closed its embassy in Khartoum in 1996 and has imposed numerous sanctions on Sudan since 1989.
On Monday, America’s embassy in Sudan announced a temporary closure beginning Nov. 12 after receiving a terrorist threat against U.S. interests in Khartoum. The embassy is expected to reopen Sunday.