Military

DATE=7-22-02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-292311

TITLE= U-S-SUDAN (L-ONLY)

BYLINE=DAVID GOLLUST

DATELINE= STATE DEPARTMENT

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: The United States has welcomed the interim peace agreement signed by the Sudanese government and southern rebels as a "strong indication" that an end to the two-decade-old civil conflict in the African country may be within reach. V-O-A's David Gollust reports from the State Department

TEXT: U-S officials are cautiously optimistic that the interim agreement concluded over the weekend in Kenya can open the way to a final settlement of a Sudanese civil war that has raged for 19-years and cost an estimated two million lives.

Called the Machakos Protocol after the Kenyan town in which it was signed, the accord lays out a multi-stage peace process beginning with a six month cease-fire between the Muslim-led government in Khartoum and southern-based rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement.

That would be followed by a six-year transitional period of autonomy for the largely Christian and animist southern region, climaxed by an internationally supervised referendum which would include an option for the rebellious southern states to secede.

At a briefing here, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher stressed there will be more negotiations in August on details of the package, but he said the deal outlined in Kenya does augur well for the future of the troubled country:

///BOUCHER ACTUALITY///

The signing of the Machakos protocol by the government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement is a significant step in moving toward a just and lasting peace. This interim measure is a strong indication that the parties are both willing and capable of reaching a negotiated settlement to Sudan's civil war.

///END ACT///

The Machakos agreement was brokered by the Kenyan-led East African grouping IGAD the International Authority on Development. It was signed after nearly a month of talks attended by U-S, Norwegian, British and Swiss observers. The United States has been heavily involved in Sudanese peace efforts since last September, when President Bush named former Senator John Danforth as a special envoy on the conflict. (Signed)

NEB/DAG/MAR