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 Sudanese president and rebel leader meet for first time in more than eight
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Sudanese president and rebel leader meet for first time in more than eight months; say they hope peace deal can be reached by end of June
By ANDREW ENGLAND Associated Press Writer
NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 02, 2003 (AP) -- Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir and the leader of the main Sudanese rebel group fighting a 20-year civil held talks in the Kenyan capital Wednesday and said they committed themselves to reach a deal in three months to end the conflict.
Bashir and John Garang, leader of the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army, reviewed the peace process intended to end the war and "expressed hope on reaching a final agreement by the end of June," a statement from President Mwai Kibaki's office said.
John Prendergast, an African specialist at the International Crisis Group, said June could be too optimistic because of the complexity of the issues that have to be agreed on but added that "it's not completely out of the ball park."
"They've gone down the road so far it will be very hard for them to turn back," Prendergast said by telephone from Washington. "There's going to be an agreement, the implementation is the big question."
The meeting - the first between the pair in more than eight months - was held under Kibaki's mediation.
Kenya, which borders war-ravaged southern Sudan, has been hosting the latest series of talks to end the conflict in which an estimated 2 million people have died, mainly from disease and war-induced famine.
The negotiations, which began last July, are set to resume next week.
The meeting between Bashir and Garang "was very important indeed because they are the ones who hold the key to a final agreement," said retired Gen. Lazaro Sumbeiywo, Kenya's chief mediator.
So far, the rebels and government have agreed to power and wealth- sharing, but they have been unable to agree on the distribution of resources and the allocation of positions in an interim administration.
There are also disagreements over the establishment of a separate administration for the south, said George Garang, an SPLA spokesman, who is not related to the SPLA leader.
The current round of civil war in Sudan broke out in 1983 when southern rebels took up arms against the predominantly Arab and Muslim northern government in a bid to obtain greater autonomy for the largely animist and Christian south. Although often simplified as a religious war, the conflict is also fueled by competition for oil, land and other resources.
Last July, both sides signed a protocol providing for the separation of state and religion in southern Sudan, and a referendum on self-determination for the south in six years.
But both parties have accused the other of violating an Oct. 15 cessation of hostilities agreement, particularly in oil-rich areas.
George Garang said it would be difficult to achieve a final peace agreement by the end of June, but he said Wednesday's meeting was "very cordial."
"There could be progress at the next round" of talks, he said.
The next round of negotiations will focus on a security arrangements.
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