Temporary truce agreement delayed

Sudan's government and rebel movement failed to reach agreement on Monday on the terms of a temporary ceasefire agreement, to be signed before the official resumption of peace talks in Machakos, Kenya. The bone of contention concerned the eastern front, along the Eritrean border, which the government delegation was keen to see excluded from the agreement, Samson Kwaje, spokesman for the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) told IRIN on Tuesday. "Our argument is that an agreement should include all of Sudan," he said. He added that the two delegations were close to agreeing on the issue, however. Muhammad Ahmad Dirdeiry, charge d'affaires at the Sudanese embassy in Nairobi, told IRIN that the government had expected to sign a memorandum of understanding on Monday afternoon, after which peace negations would resume immediately. The first items on the agenda for discussion, in order of priority, were power-sharing arrangements, wealth-sharing, and a comprehensive ceasefire. The talks were expected to last until 16 November, he added.