Egypt, Kenya hold Garang responsible for the stumbled talks in Sudan

The Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Maher has stressed that what is needed now is to influence the leader of the rebels in south Sudan, John Garang, to give up his "stubborn position" in this phase of Sudanese peace negotiations.

He explained following his talks in Cairo with his Kenyan counterpart that Egypt is contacting John Garang to change his positions and facilitate negotiations.

Maher expressed his conviction that the Sudanese government is ready to achieve a comprehensive settlement for the crisis in Sudan, noting continued contacts between Cairo and Khartoum to this effect.

On the other hand, Kenya's foreign minister Steven Masyoka announced that the opportunity is still there to achieve peace in Sudan noting that his country will exert efforts to encourage the two sides to negotiate with good intention.

The Kenyan foreign minister added that the sides of conflict in Sudan have bypassed IGAD document. He added that the importance of this document was limited to that it focused on difficult points like security arrangements and sharing the resources and the authority. Masyoka said that the problem lies now in the position of the rebels, rather that the position of the Sudanese government.

For its part, the Sudanese government kept silence concerning information which talked about the current talks in Kenya with the rebels as almost collapsing. The two sides did not agree so far on a work schedule although five days have passed since the beginning of the current tour in a mountainous resort in Nanyoki city.

The rebels cling to a document discussed by mediators of the governmental commission for development in East Africa ( IGAD), while it was rejected by the Sudanese government which sees in it a preperation to divide Sudan. Khartoum confirm that IGAD's document bears an unfair proposal to share the authority and resources and calls for partitioning Sudan and violation of the Islamic Sharia.

Khartoum also opposes a proposal to establish a special army to the south and an independent central bank during the provisional period which was stated in Mashakos agreement in Kenya in 2002.