Sudan, SPLM-N Agar conclude talks on political issues ahead of peace deal
January 17, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese government and SPLM-N Agar negotiating delegations Friday said they conclude talks on the political agenda and will resume talks on the last item, security arrangements, very soon.
The government and the SPLM-N led by Malik Agar are holding separate talks on the conflict in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan as the other SPLM-N group led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu declined to form a joint negotiating team with them.
The SPLM-N Agar calls for a large autonomy for the Two Areas while the movement led by al-Hilu demands a secular state in Sudan.
The two teams – headed by Chams al-Din Kabbashi for the government and Yasir Arman for the SPLM-N Agar- concluded a negotiation session on Friday evening on the political file, said a statement released in Khartoum by the Sovereign Council.
According to the statement, Khabbashi said the two parties ended the discussion on the political file and pointed out that joint committees began implementing the agreed humanitarian assistance.
He further announced, “the start of the discussion on the framework agreement related to security arrangements in the coming days” added the statement.
The two sides previously signed a humanitarian cessation of hostilities. Also, the SPLM-N Agar announced the arrival of WFP assessment team to the areas under its control.
For his part, Yasir Arman said that the parties’ determination to achieve peace is irreversible.
“The two sides are resolved to reach a comprehensive and speedy peace that completes the revolution,” he further stressed.
He said the peace agreement with the government will be within the framework of a unified Sudan and it should produce new mechanisms that take into account the specificity of the Two Areas.
An inclusive peace deal between the government and the Sudanese Revolutionary Front will be signed once all the other tracks reach agreements with the government on their issues.
(ST)