RUF says it is ready to negotiate unconditionally

Golley also told IRIN the unconditional release of rebel leader Foday Sankoh was no longer a precondition for peace negotiations. "We are determined to enter into talks with the government and let the whole world know that we want lasting peace in Sierra Leone," he said.

His announcement followed a weekend meeting between Sankoh and Togolese President Gnassingbe Eyadema, according to news reports.

After holding internal talks in Lome, the RUF had conditioned its
participation in negotiations with President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah's
government on Sankoh's release. However after the meeting with Eyadema, Sankoh told reporters in Lome that he was determined to negotiate and "not constitute an obstacle", news organisations reported. He reiterated the RUF's intentions to declare a ceasefire as long as the Freetown government took the same decision, Reuters reported on Monday.

When asked if the RUF could give any guarantees that a ceasefire would hold, Golley told IRIN the RUF had always been very positive to the idea of a ceasefire and "will honour any ceasefire agreement involving all other parties involved in the conflict".

Sankoh faces a death sentence after being found guilty of treason for his part in the 1997 coup which ousted Kabbah from power. The Sierra Leone authorities released him provisionally from prison to allow him to consult with his field commanders in Lome prior to peace talks with the government.

The peace talks had been expected this week but have been postponed to 24 May, Reuters reported, quoting a senior diplomat in Freetown. The official said they were delayed partly because of logistical reasons, such as the need for more time to put security measures in place, and partly because the government needed time to study a set of demands which the RUF presented to Eyadema last Tuesday.