Sudan’s Kiir optimistic about Uganda-rebels peace talks

Jul 17, 2006 (NAIROBI) — Southern Sudan President Salva Kiir on Monday expressed optimism that peace talks between the Ugandan government and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels aimed at ending a 19-year-old insurgency would be successful.

Addressing a news conference in Nairobi, Kiir who is also Sudan ‘ s First Vice-President, however warned the talks in southern Sudan would not be easy because they are dealing with an elusive rebel group, which is known as a “terrorist group”.

But the president of autonomous southern Sudan said the notorious rebel group had now chosen the path of peace and was confident a deal would be reached before the end of September 12 deadline.

“The issue of LRA has not been easy because this is an organization that has been known as a terrorist organization and its leaders have been indicted by the ICC (International Criminal Court),” Kiir told journalists in Nairobi.

“Negotiating with these people has not been seen as right course but since they have agreed to negotiate and for the first time agreed come face to face with the Ugandan government, we expect they would commit themselves to the responsibilities they have been assigned,” said Kiir who was on his way to United States.

His comments came as peace talks between Uganda’s government and rebels are due to continue, a day after the government said the rebels must disarm to receive amnesty.

The historic talks in southern Sudan had a difficult start when rebels accused the Ugandan government of corruption and threatened to continue fighting.

The government delegation then called on LRA fighters to hand over their weapons.

Thousands have died in the two-decade conflict between the LRA and the Ugandan government, and some two million have been forced to flee their homes.

“We have talked to both parties and they have committed themselves to negotiating in good faith to bring a lasting peace in northern Uganda and southern Sudan. So we are expecting a peaceful solution to the conflict at the end of the period which the talks were supposed to be completed,” Kiir said.

“We took this decision (to mediate) because the people who they kill are southern Sudanese, the women they rape are southern Sudanese women and girls, and the boys they abduct are southern Sudanese,” said Kiir.

Over the weekend, mediators in the southern Sudanese town of Juba have been trying to calm tensions between government and rebel delegates.

The government side has been angered by what it regards as belligerent remarks by rebels at the opening ceremony.

The government said it had taken a “painful decision” and agreed to the peace talks and further given LRA leader Joseph Kony and four of his top commanders indicted by the International Criminal Court “total amnesty” in order to give them “soft landing. ”

The ICC wants the notorious Ugandan rebel group leader Joseph Kony and four of his commanders for war crimes but Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has offered them a full and guaranteed amnesty as long as they renounce violence.

Kiir said his government has approached some members of the global community, which he said, had committed them the mandate to mediate despite protests from the ICC.

The ICC has no police force of its own and relies on member nations to comply with arrest warrants. Sudan has signed but not ratified the treaty creating the ICC.

The talks in the southern Sudan capital of Juba are seen by many as the best chance to end the war, which is regularly described by aid agencies as one of the world’s worst and most forgotten humanitarian crises.

(Xinhua/ST)