Troika, Khartoum discuss failure of South Sudan peace process
March 8, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – Ambassadors of Troika countries in Khartoum discussed with the Sudanese foreign ministry the failure of South Sudanese warring parties to reach a deal ending the 14 month conflict in the new nation.
Before the collapse of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)-led peace talks on Friday 6 Mach, the Troika urged South Sudanese parties “return to negotiations on February 19, 2015 prepared to compromise to achieve a peace agreement by March 5, 2015 and form a transitional government by July 1, 2015”.
The Troika, which is composed of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Norway, further called for the release of the AU Commission of Inquiry’s findings and its recommendations on accountability, saying it is necessary to “give rise to more robust political stability”.
The Sudanese foreign ministry said the Troika delegation on Sunday met with the director of international relations department Dafallah al-Haj and discussed with him the latest developments after the recent round of talks in Addis Ababa.
“The meeting discussed futures prospects on how to move forward towards a political settlement to end the conflict in the fledgling nation,” said a statement issued in Khartoum on Sunday.
Sudan is a member of the east African bloc and participate in the three-envoy team that mediating the South Sudanese peace process.
In a message to the South Sudanese people on Friday, the Ethiopian prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn who is also the IGAD chair said the IGAD, in a joint effort with South Sudan friends, “intends to implement a common plan and table a reasonable and comprehensive solution to end the crisis in South Sudan”.
The South Sudanese minister of information and spokesperson of Juba negotiating team Michael Makuei stated on Sunday that the talks didn’t fail, but blamed the rebels for making impossible demands.
The SPLM in Opposition ” have proposed items that cannot be accepted. We cannot accept existence of two armies during the transitional period. This is the essence of the difference,” he told the Chinese news agency Xinhua.
(ST)