UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan commended on December 31, 2004 the Sudanese government and rebels in southern Sudan for signing a permanent truce and a deal on how to implement a series of peace agreements.

The government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement inked the two deals in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Friday, paving the way for the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement in early January.

"These constitute an integral part of the comprehensive peace agreement, which marks the parties' commitment to end more than two decades of civil war," UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said in a statement.

Annan "commends the dedication of the Sudanese delegates, who persevered to bring the talks to a successful conclusion by the agreed timeline," the statement said.

"He looks forward to the official signing of the comprehensive peace agreement, ushering in a new era of peace in Sudan, in which the United Nations is prepared to play a significant role."

The 21-year-old civil war in southern Sudan is the longest-running conflict in Africa, which has left more than 2 million people dead.

Annan and the UN Security Council have indicated repeatedly that the United Nations would dispatch a peacekeeping mission to Sudan to help implement the comprehensive peace deal.

Source: Xinhua