Peace talks between the government of Sudan and the rebel Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) in Kenya are âdeadlocked and on the verge of collapseâ, a rebel source told AFP yesterday.
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The source said talks had reached a stalemate after the Sudanese government refused to negotiate on the basis of a framework document drawn up by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an east African regional body. âThe government delegation has asked us to loosely choose any topics which could be discussed on a face-to-face basis, but not to refer to the IGAD draft document,â the source said. The government delegation maintains that the document, rejected by the Khartoum government, should not be referred to in the talks. But the SPLA insists that the IGAD-approved text must be the basis for attempts to reach a settlement ending Sudanâs 20-year civil war. âThe draft document is the result of nine months of intensive negotiations with the IGAD mediators but the government delegation now wants it to be set aside, a condition the SPLA will not accept,â the rebel source told AFP by telephone from the talks in Nanyuki, central Kenya. |