Rebel group sends first-ever delegation to Khartoum

The rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) has sent a high profile "goodwill delegation" to meet government officials in Khartoum, as peace talks shifted into final gear in the Kenyan town of Naivasha. SPLM/A spokesman George Garang told IRIN on Friday that a delegation, comprising senior members of the rebel movement, left Kenya on Thursday for Khartoum, for the first time since the rebel movement was launched in 1983. The delegation would pass through Uganda and Libya and was expected in Khartoum on Friday. It would send a message to the Sudanese people that the current momentum towards peace was "irreversible", Garang said. "This is a very serious development," he stressed. "We have sent the delegation to tell the people of Sudan that peace is inevitable. Some of us have been away from Sudan for 23 years." The delegation, led by Senior Commander Bagan Amom and SPLM official spokesman Samson Kwaje, would be received by government officials and would participate in an "elaborate programme" which would also include meetings with civil society groups, trade unions and political parties, Garang said. The Sudanese government has welcomed the visit. In statement, foreign ministry undersecretary Mutrif Sidiq said the "idea of the visit" was presented by First Vice President Ali Osman Mohammed Taha to SPLM/A leader Johan Garang, who in turn encouraged the visit, the Sudanese news agency SUNA reported. Cirino Hiteng, a Sudanese political consultant and analyst, said he was optimistic that the visit would give the necessary boost to the peace process at this final stage of the talks. "I think peace is imminent. It is just a matter of time," Hiteng told IRIN. "We have reached a stage of no return. The parties have to make compromises." Meanwhile, talks which resumed in Naivasha on Monday, are "on schedule" with both vice president Taha and SPLM/A leader John Garang expected to arrive by Saturday, Garang said. Two committees have so far been set up to smooth out the remaining difficult issues of power sharing and the administrative status of three disputed areas.