Sudanese rebels say Wednesday's peace agreement is not conclusive
Sudan, Politics, 5/11/1998

Sudanese Minister for Cabinet Affairs Brigadier Mohammed Alamin Khalifa said yesterday in Khartoum that his government's relentless efforts to bring about peace and stability to his war stricken Afro-Arab country are finally coming to fruition.

The government has wholeheartedly signed Wednesday's agreement with the Sudanese People Liberation Army (SPLA), added Khalia, and it is determined to make the next round of negotiations with the SPLA, scheduled to take place in Addis Ababa within three months, a complete and decisive success.

Sudanese official newspapers portrayed Wednesday's agreement as a remarkable victory while public interviews and opinion polls carried out by the government-run radio and television during the last two days had shown a high spirit of optimism among those whose views were ascertained.

Both the government and the SPLA showed calculated moves during last week's round of negotiations towards compromising on their previous positions, thus creating a favorable environment for the agreement to be reached, the government by accepting a referendum for self-determination to be carried out in the south under international supervision within a period of less than four years, and the SPLA by finally giving up its demand for a confederate state.

However, despite Khartoum's upbeat statements in welcoming the agreement, an SPLA spokesman yesterday downplayed the significance of the agreement citing other fundamental issues which remained unsettled, the most important of which is the relation between state and religion. The spokesman further affirmed the SPLA's position not to declare a cease-fire before all disputed issues have been completely settled.

It is worth mentioning that the Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a gathering of east African countries which are sponsoring the peace negotiations had issued a political statement more than two years ago calling on the Sudanese government to choose between either declaring a secular state in which constitutional rights are to be based solely on citizenship, or to grant the Christian-animist dominated south the right for self-determination, a position which was then viewed by the Sudanese government as biased to the SPLA.

The opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) which comprises northern Sudanese political parties fighting General Bashir's National Islamic Front-backed government from bases in neighboring Eritrea, have not so far made any comments on last Wednesday agreement.

Previous Stories:
  Sudanese ambassador travels to Khartoum to enhance Egyptian - Sudanese relations   (5/8/1998)
  Crisis between Egypt and Sudan may not be at an end   (5/8/1998)
  Sudan graciously receives talk of separation   (5/8/1998)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search