Presidents sign peace accord

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir on Wednesday signed an agreement aimed at re-establishing diplomatic relations and promoting peace in the region, a communique issued by the mediating body, the Carter Centre, said. "President al-Bashir and President Museveni have taken an important step to restoring diplomatic relations and encouraging peace in their countries and all of East Africa," former US president Jimmy Carter said after the signing ceremony in Nairobi. Among the pledges contained in the 11-point document are renouncing the use of force to resolve differences, disbanding and disarming terrorist groups, respecting each country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, ceasing support to any rebel groups. They also agreed to return all prisoners of war to their respective nations, locate and return abductees to their families and offer amnesty and reintegration assistance to all former combatants who renounce the use of force. A statement from the Carter Centre said the agreement also called for the formation of a joint ministerial committee and technical support teams to establish a timetable of specific steps to implement the agreement. The accord is complementary to the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) peace process. Contrary to press reports, Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi only participated as host and witness during the signing, and not as chairman, a Kenyan foreign ministry official told IRIN. He said shuttle diplomacy and talks had been going on between the two countries "for a while" and that it seemed the Sudanese government "has confidence" in the Carter Centre.