| Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Taha and rebel leader John Garang on Saturday signed a declaration recommitting themselves to a series of peace protocols and officially launched a final round of talks aimed at ending 21 years of civil war. Taha and the head of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army signed the Nairobi Declaration on the Final Phase on Peace in Sudan in the presence of Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki in his Nairobi offices. The declaration encapsulates deals struck over the course of two years of talks on issues such as power and wealth sharing and the establishment of a six-year interim period of autonomy for south Sudan. The final round of talks covers a comprehensive ceasefire and technical aspects of its implementation. Actual negotiations are due to resume on June 22. The documents we have just signed with Vice President Ali Osman Taha represent a solemn declaration on our part that war in Sudan is truly coming to an end, Garang said at the ceremony, marked by ululations and cheers. Some northern Sudanese mingled with their southern counterparts to dance and sing freedom songs, a rare sight in the vast country with deep religious and cultural differences. |