Sudan Peace Talks Enters Stalemate

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, August 17, 2003

Sudan Peace Talks Enters Stalemate

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

Peace talks between the Sudanese government and southern rebels are in stalemate and marked with acrimonious exchanges between the two parties over a draft final accord, an official attending the talks told Xinhua Saturday.

The crucial round of talks, resumed in the central Kenyan town of Nanyuki five days ago, is aimed at ending the 20-year-old civil war between the Arab Muslim government in Khartoum and the mostly animist and Christian south.

But the two parties differed over whether the draft accord proposed in Nakuru, Kenya, last month should be a basis for current negotiations, the official who declined to be named said by telephone from Nanyuki.

The last round of talks in Nakuru broke down in July when the government rejected a draft accord on outstanding issues including power, wealth-sharing and security arrangements.

In Nanyuki, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) and mediators insist that the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development-approved draft deal must be the basis for negotiations attempting to reach a final agreement, the official said.

On the other hand, he added, the Sudanese government rejected proposals made by the mediators, saying the proposals call for the partition of the country and a retreat on Islamic law.

Disputes over the makeup of the Sudan's army and how Islamic law will be applied in the country's capital were among key issues threatening the peace process.

In fact some of the delegates have asked the chief mediator, retired Kenyan Lt. general Lazarus Sumbeiywo, to adjourn the ongoing session until September, the official disclosed.

Meanwhile, Kenyan officials said Kenyan Foreign Minister Kalonzo Musyoka, who is in Egypt on an official visit, will discuss with Egyptian officials the Sudan peace process on top of his agenda.

The officials said Egypt has also been trying to bring the Sudanese sides together, working independently of the Kenya talks.

An estimated two million people have died in the Sudanese civil war and through war-induced famine and disease.

Questions?Comments? Click here

Sudanese Govt. Agrees to Resume Peace Talks with Rebels

Ongoing Sudan Peace Talks Come to Crucial Stage

Sudan Peace Talks Resume in Kenya

DPRK's Kim Jong Il Elected Member of Parliament ( 2 Messages)

Main Party of China's First Euthanasia Lawsuit Dies ( 2 Messages)

For Whom Does Jackie Chan Feel Pity and Shed Tears? ( 5 Messages)

News Analysis: Bush's Political Fortune to Rise or Fall? ( 4 Messages)

Japan to Be Restored as China's Biggest Tourism Source ( 3 Messages)