Sudanese peace talks start with accusations

A new round of peace talks started yesterday in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, which aims at putting an end to the civil war in southern Sudan, which has continued for 15 years.

Kenyan Foreign Minister Bonaya Godana who is heading the negotiations said that since the failure of the first round of talks during last November, the two sides have refused to reconsider their attitudes concerning two essential issues: the relation between religion and the state and the south's right to self-determination.

A spokesman for the Sudanese People's Liberation Army accused Khartoum of using nutrition as a tool in the war at a time in which humanitarian organizations are warning of famine in the country's south.

The Sudanese foreign minister said that his government allowed four air trips carrying aid substances to southern Sudan.