Annan urges sides to resume talks

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday urged the Sudanese government and southern rebels to return to the negotiating table and put an end to the country's 19-year civil war. In a statement released by his office, Annan called on the government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) "to build upon the progress made towards bringing an end to devastating conflict in the Sudan". Sudanese government negotiators walked out of talks on Monday after SPLM/A forces seized the strategic southern town of Torit, located some 100 km southeast of the Nile River port and the key government garrison town of Juba. US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Walter Kansteiner has also expressed regret over the suspension of talks. "The United States is deeply disappointed by the decision of the government of the Republic of Sudan to withdraw its delegation from the Machakos talks," he said in a statement. US involvement in the peace process, including the appointment of a special envoy to Sudan, has been seen by many observers as a key factor in bringing both sides to the negotiating table. However, Kansteiner added that both sides had assured him of their commitment to the peace process. "The government reiterated that the current break is only temporary," he said. "Both parties reconfirmed that there is no possibility of a military victory for either side." He urged them to return to the negotiating table as quickly as possible. In a memo to the regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) which is sponsoring the talks, the government delegation said that new positions put forward by the SPLM/A since the second round of talks began in mid-August were "completely incompatible" with the Machakos Protocol - the framework deal agreed during the first round of talks in July. SPLM/A negotiating positions had led to renewed concerns over the issue of relations between religion and state, the proposed structure of an interim government, and the geographic boundary between north and south Sudan, the government said. According to rebel officials, however, internal political difficulties facing the Sudanese government were to blame for the impasse. Meanwhile, the UN said on Tuesday it had launched an emergency push to assist up to 100,000 civilians displaced by recent fighting in the south of the country. Fighting which began in June in the oil-rich region of western Upper Nile (Wahdah State) had forced thousands to flee into neighbouring Bahr al-Ghazal State, UN spokesman Fred Eckhard reported. "They have been forced to walk for at least three days and it is estimated that up to 50 percent of the displaced are children," he said.