President, rebel leader hope for peace by June

President Umar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir of Sudan and the leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), John Garang, said on Wednesday that they hoped for a final truce by the end of June 2003. "They jointly expressed hope on reaching a final peace agreement by the end of June, 2003," said a joint communique. At a meeting in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, which was chaired by President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya, both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a cessation of hostilities and unrestricted delivery of humanitarian access. They agreed on "the need to open communication channels between them" and committed themselves to be "forthright" on upcoming issues in the negotiations, with a view to boosting the peace process. They also reiterated their confidence in the Kenyan mediators at the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development-sponsored talks, and agreed on the need to maintain the momentum towards reaching a comprehensive peace agreement. Kibaki observed that the negotiations had reached "a critical stage", and urged the two parties to maintain their commitment and flexibility by making the necessary compromises to end the conflict. "A lot of difficult issues need to be resolved first [before a comprehensive ceasefire]. The three disputed areas of Southern Blue Nile, Abyei and the Nuba mountains need to be put at the forefront of negotiations for peace to be lasting," commented one regional analyst.