KHARTOUM, (Islamweb & Agencies) -Egypt on Sunday urged the Sudanese government and opposition to start work toward ending a bloody 18-year civil war now that they have agreed to an Egyptian-Libyan peace plan.
In a joint statement released at the end of a two-day visit here by Egyptian Prime Minister Atef Ebeid, Egypt and Sudan together stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire in the south, without saying when one should start.
Egypt called for all sides to start work toward carrying out the plan, which they accepted in the last week, including "halting the war and bringing about prosperity, security, stability and unity of the Sudanese people."
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said in Cairo on Thursday that his government would begin contacts toward organizing a broad-based peace conference now that all sides had agreed to the Arab peace plan.
The date and place have not yet been announced for such a conference, which would involve for the first time not just southern rebels but also northern opposition factions.
The memorandum -- an expanded version of the initiative first offered by Tripoli and Cairo two years ago -- provides for the establishment of a transitional government, a plural democracy and a unified country.
It calls for an immediate ceasefire, but does not say whether the truce should begin before or after the peace conference.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), an umbrella grouping for southern rebels and northern opposition factions, said in Cairo last Thursday that it was ready to attend a peace conference.
The popular Umma opposition party, which left the NDA after making a rapprochement with the Khartoum government, has also accepted the Arab initiative.
Despite broad acceptance of the plan, large differences remain between the opposition and the government.
Although it endorses the plan, the NDA also wants to add the principles of separation of religion and politics, self-determination for southerners and government accountability for "crimes against the opposition."
It was also unclear if Khartoum would eventually agree to a transitional government, despite agreeing to discuss the matter at a peace conference.