Roundup: Historic Meeting Between Sudanese President, Rebel Leader

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, July 29, 2002

Roundup: Historic Meeting Between Sudanese President, Rebel Leader

Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed el-Bashir met on Saturday with leader of the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) John Garang in Kampala, capital of Uganda.

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Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed el-Bashir met on Saturday with leader of the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) John Garang in Kampala, capital of Uganda.

The meeting, hosted by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, drew local, regional and international attention for its historic significance in restoring a lasting peace in Sudan, which has been suffering from civil war since 1983.

The Bashir-Garang meeting was the first top-level talks between the southern Sudanese rebel leader and the successive Sudanese heads of state over the past two decades since the eruption of the civil war.

Regional and international observers believe that the meeting isa new opening towards peace in Sudan and a major step in the implementation of the recent Machakos Accord.

The accord was signed in Machakos, Kenya, on July 20, during a meeting sponsored by the East African Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) based in Nairobi, with the attendance of representatives of the United States, Britain, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, Egypt and Libya.

The accord not only enhanced the chances of peace in Sudan but also went beyond the obstacles faced by the previous rounds of talks since 1989, namely, the issues of self-determination, the relationship between the religion and state, and the power structures.

Upon his return to Khartoum from Kampala Saturday evening, Bashir said he and Garang underscored during their two-hour closed-door meeting their keenness on the success of the coming round of talks and settling the remaining stumbling points on the agenda.

Garang said during the meeting he went there to prove his seriousness about the implementation of Machakos Accord, adding that he was pro-federation because unity adds strength to the nation, according to Bashir.

The Bashir-Garang meeting itself is an indicator of favorable atmosphere to end the civil war in Sudan, said a member of the negotiating delegation of the Sudanese government.

Meanwhile, SPLA spokesman Yasser Arman said in a telephone call after the Bashir-Garang meeting that the SPLA regards the meeting as a major step towards peace, adding that the two sides underscored their commitment to the implementation of the Machakos accord.

The meeting is also considered as a confidence-building move between Bashir and Garang, SPLA noted.

Political analysts told the Qatar-based Jazeera satellite TV channel that the meeting gave a great momentum to the implementation of the Nairobi deal.

Bashir was quoted by BBC as saying that the deal did not establish peace but it is a major stride towards peace.

The signing of the Machakos deal and the historic meeting between Bashir and Garang came as a result of the efforts made by the United State as reconciliation between the Sudanese warring parties serves the strategic interests of the United States in the Horn of Africa area, analysts said.

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