Peace talks resume between gov't and SPLM/A

Talks aimed at thrashing out a final peace settlement between the Sudanese government and the southern-based Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army resumed in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Thursday after a two-month hiatus. "My presence here is an expression of our unwavering commitment [...] to clear all outstanding issues," SPLM/A leader John Garang said at the opening ceremony. "I wish to assure you all that I am prepared to remain here to complete negotiations and agreements on all outstanding issues and sign a comprehensive peace agreement," he added. He also called for the resolution of the conflict ravaging the western region of Darfur, saying peace in the south would be incomplete if violence continued in the west. Conflict between rebels and the government supported by allied militia in Darfur, has displaced 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border to Chad. "Having peace in one part of the country and having war and instability in others parts cannot be useful to anybody in the Sudan or the region," said Garang. The Sudanese Vice President Ali Uthman Muhammad Taha said that Khartoum was committed to the peace process and pledged that “the world would receive good news" at the end of the current fifth round of face-to-face talks between him and Garang. "I confirm the readiness of the government of Sudan to continue negotiating with sincerity and good faith," he said. "We understand the importance of these negotiations. We are therefore going to give the negotiations their due attention," said Taha. The conflict in southern Sudan erupted in 1983 when rebels in the mainly Christian and animist south took up arms against authorities based in the in the Muslim, largely Arabised north to demand greater autonomy for their region. Last May, both sides signed six key protocols covering cover power-sharing arrangements and the administration of three contested areas during a six-year interim period that will precede a referendum to determine whether the south would remain part of Sudan. The protocols outlined the formation of a decentralised government of national unity, and devolution of power to Sudan's individual states. The south would, during the interim period, have its own constitution that would conform with the transitional national constitution. Senior Kenyan officials and representatives of IGAD (Inter-Governmental Authority on Development), the regional organization that is coordinating the talks, attended the opening of the talks.