U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says Sudan's government and main rebel group are committed to signing a comprehensive peace deal by the end of the year. Powell made the announcement in the Kenyan town of Naivasha Wednesday, following talks with Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Taha and rebel leader John Garang. Representatives from both sides are meeting in Naivasha to negotiate a final deal to end 20 years of civil war in Sudan. Speaking to reporters, Powell said once an accord is in place, President Bush will invite both sides to the White House for a formal signing ceremony. On Tuesday, Powell suggested Washington would lift sanctions against Sudan if a peace settlement is reached and the government made efforts to stamp out terrorism in the country. Sudan is on the U.S. list of nations that sponsor terrorism. In particular, U.S. officials want Sudan's government to close the Khartoum offices of two Palestinian groups: the Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Secretary Powell arrived in Kenya on Tuesday to add "energy" to Sudan's peace talks. Just last month, Sudan's warring parties made a breakthrough deal on key security issues for a planned six-year period of autonomy for the south. That is to be followed by a referendum on the political future of the region. Two decades of war in Sudan have claimed an estimated two million lives. **PHOTO CAPTION*** U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell (L) talks with Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) leader John Garang (C) and Sudan's First Vice-President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha (R) at the Simba Lodge in Naivasha, 90 km (55 miles) northwest of the capital Nairobi, October 22, 2003. (REUTERS/ Antony Njuguna)