US envoy’s mission extended at Sudan peace talks in Kenya

KHARTOUM, Mar 01, 2004 (Sudan Tribune) — The US administration has asked its envoy to Naivasha Kenya, the US Acting Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Charles Snyder, to extend his mission for another four days and intensify efforts of mediating between the government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement to enable the negotiations surpass the obstacle of the disputed central Sudan region of Abyei .

According to Sudanese Media Center, the US pressure was currently directed towards the SPLM’s delegation to convince it that historically and according to Machakos agreement Abyei does not belong to southern Sudan and trying to do so was completely rejected by all mediators.

Technical committees from both sides are currently preoccupied with putting together what had been agreed upon on Abyei negotiations, so as to sum up points of agreement and disagreement.

Snyder and Alan Goulty, the British peace envoy, who began his visit to Naivasha yesterday, held continuous meetings with the first vice-president and the leader of the SPLM on solving the issue of Abyei and seeking the best option to overcome negotiation obstacles and speed up the final agreement.