SUDAN:
Peace deal expected by end of 2003
NAIVASHA, KENYA,, 22 October (IRIN) - Both the Sudanese
government and
the
Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) have committed
themselves
to signing a comprehensive peace deal by the end of the year, US
Secretary
of State Colin Powell told reporters in Naivasha, Kenya.
Having spent over an hour in discussions with the two sides, Powell
said,
"Based on what I have heard today, I believe that a final agreement is
within the grasp of the parties." He said the "way is now open to
finding
a comprehensive solution", but that there was "still a bit more to be
done".
"Excellent progress" had been made on the issue of wealth sharing,
while
power sharing could also be "dealt with in the near future"," he said.
But
the contested areas of Abyei, southern Blue Nile and the Nuba mountains
would "take most work". Deep-rooted differences of opinion exist on the
status of the three areas in a future Sudan. Parts of the three areas
are
controlled by the government and parts by the SPLA.
The SPLM/A wants southern Blue Nile and the Nuba mountains to have
the
right to self-determination, with internationally monitored referenda
before the end of a six-year interim period - following the signing of
a
peace agreement - to decide whether they belong to northern or southern
Sudan. For the oil-rich area of Abyei, currently part of Western
Kordofan,
SPLM/A has asked that a presidential order be issued restoring it to
the
southern state of Bahr al-Ghazal.
But the government is determined to hold on to the three regions.
Powell said that once a final agreement had been signed, both the
government and the SPLM/A would be invited to the White House to
endorse
it and enable President George W. Bush "to commit the US to assisting
in
the implementation of an agreement". He added that the US would
remain
just as committed to implementation as it was to the ongoing peace
process.
Sudanese Vice-President Ali Uthman Muhammad Taha said that both
sides
had
come to Naivasha to find peace. "We are committed and focused and
will
remain engaged until peace is achieved," he said. "The issues are there
and it's not an easy exercise to get them resolved; but with
determination
and commitment to our people we are going to overcome the
difficulties."
SPLM/A Chairman John Garang said: "We are committed to the peace
process,
we know that our people need peace," His message to the Sudanese
people
was one of "peace, commitment and determination", he said.
Garang added that they would address the remaining issues, "difficult
as
they are". He said Powell had come to "nudge" both sides, and that the
meeting had brought encouragement and hope which was "very valuable".
"We must find a solution. This is a moment of opportunity that must not
be
lost," Powell said.