(SomaliNet) The UN special envoy on northern Uganda, Joachim Chissano, in a telephone call to LRA chief Joseph Kony said he wanted to first meet local leaders before President Yoweri Museveni and signing the final peace agreement. A according to news reports, Chissano told internally displaced persons he was working hard to ensure the agreement was signed. "The talks are over. The LRA and the Government peace teams signed all the papers. What is left is for Kony to sign."
Chissano addressing Christians at St. Joseph's Cathedral in Gulu on Sunday, appealed to residents to pray for peace for development. "I am happy that after a long time of silence rang me and said we should meet in Ri-Kwangba (in South Sudan) in Kony himself the next two weeks."
In April, the LRA chief failed to sign the agreement after a painstaking process, saying he did not understand how a special court due to be created to try the rebels would work. Addressing the residents of Lamin-Lawino on Saturday, the former Mozambican president blamed the failure to sign on problems among the LRA.
"Kony asked me so many questions and we lost contact with him. I am happy that last month Kony telephoned us for peace talks."
He quoted the fugitive rebel leader as saying he wanted just one more meeting before signing. "We are organising the meeting; we hope in one to two weeks we will meet Kony. We hope this time he will sign," Chissano said.