UN envoy hold talks with both sides of civil conflict in southern Sudan

Urging them to seize the chance to end their long-running civil war in southern Sudan, the senior United Nations envoy to the country today met representatives of both sides as they took part in peace talks aimed at ending the conflict that has cost two million lives since 1983.

Jan Pronk, the Secretary-General's Special Representative, held talks with Sudanese Vice President Ali Othman Taha and John Garang, Chairman of the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

Negotiations between Khartoum and the rebels resumed in Kenya last Thursday under the mediation of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) after they had stalled earlier this year following the signing of draft protocols on some of the areas in dispute.

While in Nairobi, Mr. Pronk also met a delegation from the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), one of two rebel groups that took up arms against Sudanese Government forces in the Darfur region last year.

Those discussions focused on the expected resumption in Nigeria of peace talks aimed at solving the separate conflict in Darfur, which has led to the deaths of thousands of people and forced more than 1.65 million people to flee their homes.

Mr. Pronk emphasized the importance of reaching a negotiated political settlement that tackles the root causes of the Darfur conflict in a sustainable manner, Mr. Dujarric said.

Meanwhile, the UN Advance Mission in Sudan (UNAMIS) issued a statement deploring the deaths of two humanitarian workers with the aid organization Save the Children (UK).

Initial reports indicated the two workers' vehicle was struck by an explosion - caused by a landmine or unexploded ordnance - in North Darfur, Mr. Dujarric said.