UGANDA-SUDAN: Presidents sign peace
accord
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and
his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir on Wednesday signed an agreement
aimed at re-establishing diplomatic relations and promoting peace in the
region, a communique issued by the mediating body, the Carter Centre, said.
"President al-Bashir and President Museveni have taken an important
step to restoring
diplomatic relations and encouraging peace in their countries and all of
East Africa," former US president Jimmy Carter said after the signing
ceremony in Nairobi. Among the pledges contained in the 11-point document
are renouncing the use of force to resolve differences, disbanding and
disarming terrorist groups, respecting each country's sovereignty and
territorial integrity, ceasing support to any rebel groups. They also agreed
to return all prisoners of war to their respective nations, locate and
return abductees to their families and offer amnesty and reintegration
assistance to all former combatants who renounce the use of force.
A statement from the Carter Centre said
the agreement also called for the formation of a joint ministerial committee
and technical support teams to establish a timetable of specific steps
to implement the agreement. The accord is complementary to the Inter-Governmental
Authority on Development (IGAD) peace process. Contrary to press reports,
Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi only participated as host and witness
during the signing, and not as chairman, a Kenyan foreign ministry official
told IRIN. He said shuttle diplomacy and talks had been going on between
the two countries "for a
while" and that it seemed the Sudanese government "has confidence"
in the Carter Centre.
UGANDA-SUDAN: Rebel leader not worried by agreement
Meanwhile, leader of the rebel Sudan
People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) John Garang on Wednesday said
it was unfortunate that neither Kampala nor Khartoum had informed him of
the Nairobi summit, the independent Ugandan 'Monitor' reported. The paper
quoted him as saying he was not bothered by the talks since they were "neither
the first nor the
last". He also said he did not receive military support from Uganda
and that there were presently no SPLA soldiers on Ugandan soil. "All
we need in Uganda and other neighbours are open borders for the local population
to trade, and passage for our military hardware," he said.
UGANDA: Parliament passes amnesty bill
The Ugandan parliament on Tuesday passed
an amnesty bill which seeks to pardon rebels who surrender to the government,
news organisations reported. The British Broadcasting Corporation
(BBC) said the bill would initially be in force for six months with provision
for an extension. It said the rebels would have six months to surrender
from the date President
Museveni signs the bill into law. The new law completes a change of policy
by the government which had previously maintained that rebel groups could
only be "subdued militarily", the BBC said. The main rebel groups
are the
Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in the north and the Allied Democratic Forces
(ADF) in the west.
UGANDA: Kony "critically ill"
LRA commander Joseph Kony is said to be critically ill in Khartoum, the 'Monitor' reported on Tuesday. Quoting London-based LRA sources, the paper said 31 year-old Kony is suspected to be suffering from AIDS and currently hospitalised in a suburb south of Khartoum.
EAST AFRICA: EAC treaty signed
The three East African countries, Kenya,
Uganda and Tanzania signed a treaty last week establishing a new East African
Community (EAC) with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. The treaty
covers regional cooperation in political, economic, social, cultural, security
and legal matters. So far, the priority is being accorded to economic cooperation
which is
expected to provide a basis for political cooperation in future, EAC spokesman
Magaga Alot told IRIN. The treaty which contains 153 articles has 29 chapters
stipulating, among other issues, cooperation in trade liberalisation, finance,
infrastructure, development of human resources, science and technology.
Other chapters are on free movement of
persons, labour and services, enhancing the role of women in socio-economic
development, cooperation in investment and industrial development, the
private sector and civil society. It also touches on areas such as agriculture,
natural resources, wildlife and tourism, health, political and judicial
affairs. Magaga said
the treaty envisages the establishment of a Customs Union as the entry
point of the Community, a common market, a monetary union and ultimately
a political federation of the three states.
TANZANIA: Ruling party to approve constitutional reforms
Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa on
Monday said the recommendations of a presidential committee, which collected
public views on proposed constitutional reform, will have to pass the test
of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) before they are sent to parliament.
'The Guardian' newspaper quoted Mkapa as saying "serious issues"
such as constitutional
reform must first get the approval of the party. "Before it is sent
to parliament, the report and the views of the cabinet must pass the test
of the CCM central committee and the National Executive Committee (NEC)
to ensure that it is in agreement with party policies," he said. He
reportedly stressed that nobody could influence the government on how to
deal with the recommendations contained in the report.
[ENDS]
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Item: irin-english-2121
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