Sudan’s main rebel group tells Bush peace deal imminent

NAIROBI, Nov 17 (AFP) — The leader of Sudan’s main southern rebel group has told US President George W. Bush that a comprehensive deal to end more than 20 years of war with Khartoum would be clinched just days after peace negotiations resume on November 26, a rebel spokesman said Wednesday.

John Garang

In a phone conversation Tuesday, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army leader John Garang “told Bush it is a matter of days (after talks resume) before we reach a final peace agreement,” Yasser Arman told AFP, speaking by satellite phone from south Sudan’s Equatoria state.

On Tuesday, the White House announced that Bush had called both Garang and Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir to urge them to conclude their marathon peace talks.