Peace talks resume

A crucial round of talks, between the Sudanese government and rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) resumed on Monday with both sides reiterating their earlier commitment to reach a final agreement before the end of the year. During the talks, being held in the Kenyan town of Naivasha, the parties are expected to hammer out the final details of a comprehensive peace agreement to end the country's 20-year civil war. Muhammad Ahmad Dirdeiry, Sudanese deputy ambassador to Kenya, told IRIN from Naivasha that a target date of 20 December had already been set by both parties and mediators to sign a draft accord. The first four days of the talks would be dedicated to technical details, he said, after which Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Mohammed Taha and SPLM/A leader John Garang were expected to arrive on 5 December to begin high level negotiations. However Samson Kwaje, the SPLM/A spokesman, said although the current talks were due to end on 20 December, no signing date had been fixed. "There is a commitment by both parties to reach an agreement by the end of this year. But no date has been fixed yet for parties to sign the agreement," Kwaje told IRIN. During the talks, the parties are expected to iron out the remaining obstacles to a final deal. These include details of power and wealth sharing arrangements during a proposed six-year transition period, and the administrative status of the three disputed regions (Abyei, Nuba Mountains and southern Blue Nile). Meanwhile, the Sudan government at the weekend announced the resignation of its presidential peace envoy, Ghazi Salah al-Din, barely a day into the crucial talks. Dirdeiry said the presidential peace advisor had resigned of his own accord and the government had accepted his resignation. He said the move was unlikely to affect the government's position or the current momentum towards peace. "The government's position is very solid. It is definitely not a problem for the talks," Dirdeiry told IRIN. Regional observers indicated that Ghazi's action had been prompted by power struggles among senior government members. The presidential peace envoy had been increasingly sidelined since the First Vice-President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha took a direct role in the talks in September, the observers said.