Government denies downplaying importance of end-of-year peace date

The Sudanese government on Thursday said it is committed to finding a peace deal with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) by the end of the year, contrary to media reports. Following a meeting on Wednesday with the government and the SPLM/A in Naivasha, Kenya, US Secretary of State Colin Powell told reporters that both sides had committed themselves to signing a peace deal by the end of the year. Neither SPLM/A Chairman John Garang nor Sudanese Vice-President Ali Osman Taha mentioned any date during the press conference, but the Sudanese presidential peace adviser, Dr Ghazi Salah al-Din al-Atabani, reportedly said afterwards that it was "impossible to dictate" a deadline for reaching a peace deal to end two decades of civil war. On Thursday, a statement from the Sudanese embassy said: "The date proposed by Secretary Powell for the conclusion of a peace deal was made in consultation with the two parties and reflects a realistic goal." "The government of the Sudan expresses its commitment to redouble its efforts to reach a fair and sustainable peace deal before that date," it continued. Contrary to media reports, "no suggestion was made by the peace adviser to indicate that the government views the proposal as a dictation on its will", it added.