A fresh round of peace talks between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-North started Tuesday in Addis Ababa.
Upon arrival, the head of the government’s delegation Omer Suleiman told Radio Tamazuj his delegation is ready for the talks with the participation of six other political parties, after the mainstream Justice party joined the government delegation.
He has also called the SPLM-N acceptance of the mediation’s proposed agenda for dialogue as an important step and an indication that a final agreement on the Two Areas is possible.
He said that his delegation is fully mandated to discus all key security, political and humanitarian issues to arrive at a final solution and sign an agreement to achieve security and stability in the Two Areas.
Yesterday there were separate meeting between chief mediator Thabo Mbeki and the delegations. Later in the day the heads of the two delegations met separately for three hours.
Yasser Arman, speaking to press after his meeting with the mediator yesterday, said that the SPLM-N is ready for a ceasefire provided that the two parties can first agree on a roadmap for political reform nationally, including a constitutional conference in which the rebels participate.
SPLM-N’s emphasis on a ‘national solution’ to the war in Blue Nile and South Kordofan has been a sticking point for the Sudanese government, which has sought to limit the agenda to discussion of the two regions alone.
The rebel movement is interested in power sharing at a national level as making Sudan a secular state, both of which the Sudanese ruling party rejects.
Photo: Negotiators in Addis Ababa, 23 April 2014 (Radio Tamazuj)