Military

DATE= 8/23/03

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT (S-ONLY)

TITLE= SUDAN/TALKS ADJOURNED

NUMBER=2-306772

BYLINE= CATHY MAJTENYI

DATELINE= NAIROBI

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Peace talks between the Sudanese government and the country's main rebel group were adjourned Saturday for several weeks to allow both sides to consult with their leaders. Cathy Majtenyi reports from Nairobi.

TEXT: The adjournment was called when the latest round of talks, which began in Kenya two weeks ago, were in danger of collapse.

Sudanese government delegates said they could not accept that the country's capital, Khartoum, would have be free of Islamic law and that the country would have two separate armies, one for the north and one for the south. These are two of the measures that the southern-based Sudan People's Liberation Army insists on having in the draft agreement.

The two sides are expected to come back to the table September 10 after having consulted with their leaders.

The Sudan peace talks began in Kenya last year to try to find a way to end the country's 20-year-old conflict that has killed an estimated two million people. (Signed)

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