Sudan peace near in Nivasha, far in Darfour
Sudan, Politics, 12/25/2003

Negotiations between the Sudanese government and the southern rebels achieved great progress in formulating the wealth-sharing agreement.

A joint statement by the two sides said that the current negotiations, in one of Nivasha's hotels in Kenya, achieved a great progress in pending issues concerning wealth sharing including sharing of the south produced oil revenues. The statement indicated that the two sides are drawing the final touches on an agreement concerning wealth-sharing. The two sides said that they expanded the scale of talks to cover three areas, the place of conflict, which are Eibi, al-Nouba mountains. and the south of the Blue Nile.

The statements said that the negotiations will be suspended for one day ( today for the Christmas ) and will be resumed tomorrow Friday.

Moreover, the southern rebels held a meeting with the delegation of the government in Nivasha resort in Kenya, to put the final touches on wealth-sharing, which the two sides were expected to sign later yesterday ( Wednesday). The meeting coincided with the end of works of the committee in charge of defining the fate of the three areas under disputes. The results of these works were submitted to the heads of the two delegations.

The spokesman for the southern rebels, Yasser Araman, said that the chairman of the movement, John Garang, and the chairman of the government's delegation, Ali Othman Muhammad Taha, are currently meeting in Nivasha to discuss the mechanism of wealth- sharing, stressing that the meeting is being held in a very serious and positive atmosphere.

Araman added that the heads of the two delegations put on top of their priorities,m solving pending issues appropriately, in a way that preserves a balance of interests. He explained that all committees are working to reach an agreement before the end of the year. Araman stressed that the final agreement is coming undoubtedly, but did not define a date by itself, confining to saying that there are no differences between the two sides.

As for the delay in signing the agreement and postponing it for several times, Araman said that matters are proceeding naturally, and are in need of precise treatment, noting that this requires great efforts and time and therefore it is necessary to give it its due time.

To this effect, news reports in Khartoum said that so far, no information have leaked from results of Nivasha meetings, except what was quoted by the press and the radio in that the signature of the agreement is nearby.

It seems that the atmosphere of optimism prevailing in Nivasha resort on the future of southern Sudan are absent from problems.

Previous Stories:
  As refugees pour into Chad from Sudan, UN announces plans for safer camps   (12/24/2003)
  Sudan resource sharing agreement might be signed today   (12/23/2003)
  Khartoum, rebels embark on formulating resource sharing agreement   (12/22/2003)

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