Presidents of Sudan, Yemen, Eritrea in Sanaa to challenge Eritrea; Khartoum, the rebellions postpone signing the ceasefire
Yemen-Sudan, Politics, 10/15/2002

The rebels of Sudan and the Sudanese government have postponed the signing of a cease fire agreement which was due in Mashakos on Monday over differences on how to monitor the implementation of the agreement, while the presidents of Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia started a tripartite summit coinciding with the escalation of tension between the three said countries and Eritrea.

Earlier news reports said that the Sudanese government and the rebels had approached the signing of a temporary agreement for ceasing fire on Monday. Following several hours of talks with the Kenyan mediator Lazaro Sombewoo in Mashakos city, the two sides came out to announce they were close to reach an agreement and hoping to sign it before midnight.

The spokesman for the rebels, Samson Kawaji, said that " the points which were not settled are regarding to the mechanism of monitoring and the cease- fire control."

Meantime, the Sudanese daily al-Nabaa (the news) said that the army has restored back towns in the southern and east of Sudan as well as military equipment on the wake of resuming peace negotiations with the rebels. A statement for the army issued by the paper said that the army achieved great victories against the rebels by holding back Labolo, and Khour Adalo near the strategic town of Tourist and confiscated equipment.

On the other hand, a tripartite summit started on Monday in Sanaa including the Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and Ethiopia's prime minister Meles Zenawi. The summit's deliberations will concentrate on several regional and international issues especially conditions in the African horn, the Somali reconciliation, the Arab- Israeli conflict and the conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Yemeni sources indicated that the leaders of the three countries will discuss the efforts currently made to achieve reconciliation among the Somali warring groups so as to establish peace and stability in the African horn area, the southern of the Red Sea and means of reactivating joint cooperation and coordination in this regard.

Worthy mentioning that the tripartite summit is being held at a time in which the Sudanese- Ethiopian relations together with their neighbor Eritrea are witnessing great tension after Khartoum, and Addis Ababa accused Eritrea of destabilizing the area by supporting opposition forces in the two countries.

However, Yemen's relations with Eritrea are also witnessing tension since March because of the two countries differences over the rights to traditional fishing in Hanish island to the southern West of the Red Sea.

Previous Stories:
  Khartoum announces it has Eritrean prisoners; truce with the rebels, today   (10/14/2002)
  Al-Rai al-Aam: Eritrea's defense minister arrested for refusal to attack East Sudan   (10/14/2002)
  Tripartite Sudanese, Ethiopian, Yemeni summit to be held soon   (10/11/2002)
  Sudan, Ethiopia sign four agreements   (5/14/2002)
  Al-Bashir to visit Addis Ababa on May 20   (5/11/2002)
  Yemeni mediation to release al-Turabi   (3/30/2001)
  Yemeni government denies relation to a delegation mediating the release of al-Turabi   (3/7/2001)
  Yemen, Eritrea to announce decision on marine borders   (11/29/1999)
  Eritrean president concludes talks in Sanaa   (5/5/1999)

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