Sudan's al-Beshir hails truce

2006-06-20 12:46

Khartoum - Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir hailed the pact reached in Asmara by Khartoum and rebel groups to cease hostilities in the eastern states of Red Sea and Kassala, said reports on Tuesday.

Speaking at a meeting of his ruling National Congress late on Monday, Beshir described the truce reached by the government and the rebel Eastern Front as major "progress" in efforts to conclude a final peace agreement.

Beshir said: "The signing of the declaration of principles and cessation of hostilities accords shows that the two parties are interested in achieving peace and stability, without which no development can be achieved."

The deal signed in the Eritrean capital on Monday also included a framework for the future of the negotiations, which were aimed at pacifying one of the many civil conflicts that had plagued Africa's largest country.

The much-awaited talks opened on June 13 after longtime foes Beshir and Eritrean President Assaias Afeworki held a rare meeting in Khartoum, which experts believed boosted the chances of clinching a truce.

The Eastern Front rebel formation, created last year by the region's largest ethnic group, the Beja, and Rashidiya Arabs, had similar aims to its counterparts in the western region of Darfur - autonomy and greater control over the area's resources.

- AFP