The final and decisive round of negotiations between the Sudanese government and the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) started here Sunday, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported.

The two sides are expected to sort out a number of outstanding points to finalize an agreement initialled in Cairo by the Sudanese government and the NDA on Jan. 16 after a series of talks under the auspices of the Egyptian government.

At that time, the two sides said they would support the peace deal signed by Khartoum and Sudan's southern rebels on Jan. 9 in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, which brought an end to the longest- running civil war on the African continent.

Most importantly, the Sudanese government agreed to share power with the NDA, an umbrella of mostly northern opposition groups, but several issues remained outstanding, including the participation of the NDA in the process of drafting a new constitution.

The negotiations started Sunday will be conducted by two commissions, with the first commission tackling the principles for dealing with the issue of NDA gunmen in eastern Sudan and the second laying down a mechanism and a timetable for the implementation of the Cairo agreement, said MENA.

The Sudanese government delegation is led by Minister of Federal Rule Nafie Ali Nafie who arrived in Cairo Sunday morning, while the opposition delegation is led by NDA Deputy Chairman Abdel Rahman Saeed.

The three-day meeting between the two sides will pave the way for the signing of a final reconciliation agreement by Sudan's First Vice President Ali Osman Taha, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) leader John Garang and NDA leader Mohamed Osman al- Merghani, who are scheduled to meet in Cairo on Wednesday or Thursday, according to MENA.

Source: Xinhua