Peace adviser says Khartoum "fed up" with peace talks

The Sudanese government has warned that it could pull out of the peace negotiations sponsored by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) if progress is not made at the next round of talks, news agencies reported on Saturday. "The government has become fed up with the failure by the IGAD initiative to reach positive results in eight years," AFP quoted the presidential peace adviser, Ghazi Salah al-Din al-Atabani, as saying on Friday. IGAD, which groups together seven East African states, launched its bid to reconcile Khartoum and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) and bring an end to the Sudan's 18-year civil war in 1993.

Salah al-Din on 2 October presented to Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi Khartoum's proposals on ways to take the IGAD process forward. The latest round of negotiations had been due to start on 24 September, but were postponed when Sudan said it needed more time to consult with Moi. "We have told IGAD Chairman President Daniel arap Moi of our decision to grant IGAD one last chance in its bid for an end to the war and for reaching peace. The forthcoming round of talks will be a decisive one," Salah al-Din warned.

Salah al-Din told the Kenyan 'Daily Nation' on 4 October that the Sudanese government was also working for peace through a parallel initiative put forward jointly by the governments of Egypt and Libya. "The search for peace is not limited to any particular initiative," he said. The SPLM/A claimed in September that Khartoum was "backing away" from the IGAD-sponsored plan in favour of the Egyptian-Libyan proposal. Although both the government and the opposition umbrella National Democratic Alliance (NDA) - which includes the SPLM/A - in June accepted the provisions of the Egyptian-Libyan plan, some NDA members have criticised it for failing to include the principles of self-determination for the south, and the separation of religion and state - both included in the IGAD proposal.