Sudanese govt offer deadline for peace
Sudanese government and rebel officials signed an agreement today promising to end the 21-year civil war in Sudan by the end of the year.
The pact was made before the UN Security Council in a special meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. This is the first time the warring sides have put a deadline in writing before the Security Council.
Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Taha and southern rebel leader John Garang, the main peace negotiators for the two sides, made a similar pledge last year to complete an agreement by 2003, but missed that deadline and two more deadlines after that.
The UN Security Council considered a draft resolution on Sudan today to conclude a rare meeting outside of its New York headquarters, which has focussed world attention on the two conflicts.
Millions of people have been killed or made homeless by the fighting.
The council was pushing for the rapid conclusion of a two-year peace process to end the civil war in southern Sudan, while highlighting the need also to end the 21-month fighting in the western Darfur region.
The meeting in the Kenyan capital is only the fourth time the council has met outside its New York headquarters since 1952.
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