Sudan, southern rebels to sign document on progress in talks

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Sudan, southern rebels to sign document on progress in talks

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News Article by AFP posted on November 09, 2002 at 08:24:31: EST (-5 GMT)

Sudan, southern rebels to sign document on progress in talks

KHARTOUM, Nov 9 (AFP) -- Sudan and the southern rebel movement are to sign a document outlining the progress made in their peace talks, notably on the key issues of power- and resource-sharing, a government delegate said in remarks published Saturday.

"We cannot say any issue has been fully resolved ... the issues of controversy are still many but are being negotiated in the current positive atmosphere that has prevailed since the start of the present round," Amin Omar Hassan told the independent Akhbar Al-Yom daily.

The document, to be signed next Saturday between the government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), will outline the issues agreed upon and those left to negotiate since their talks resumed in Machakos, Kenya in mid-October.

Most recently, the two sides have been negotiating the key issues of resources and power-sharing.

Discussion on these issues are to resume in January, Omar said.

The talks followed the groundbreaking Machakos Protocol signed on July 20, under which southern Sudan will be granted a six-year period of administrative autonomy and not be subject to the Islamic law applied in the Arab north.

At the end of the six years, the south will decide in a referendum if it wishes to remain part of Sudan or to secede.

Khartoum's presidential peace adviser Ghazi Salah Eddin Atabani said last week he was optimistic negotiations would succeed, saying there was agreement on "80 percent" of main issues, without elaborating.

However, on Wednesday an SPLA spokesman said this was untrue, and accused a small faction in Khartoum of believing in a military victory over the SPLA.