UN chief arrives in Juba to push peace deal

JUBA, Sudan, Sep 4 (Reuters) UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon flew in to south Sudan's capital Juba today to try to speed implementation of the 2005 peace deal that ended Africa's longest civil war.

Aides said Ban would try to resolve sticking points in the rollout of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended over two decades of conflict between the northern government and southern rebels.

Ban, on his first visit to Sudan, is also due to visit the war-torn western region of Darfur. Yesterday, he urged President Omar Hassan al-Bashir to order an immediate ceasefire there and assist deployment of a 26,000-strong peacekeeping force.

A senior UN official travelling with Ban told Reuters there were ''worrying signals'' about the implementation of the north-south peace deal.

''There are a number of signs that show there is a need for someone to push the CPA forward,'' the official said. ''Both sides have indicated their commitment to the agreement. But it is important not to let it slip.'' Worrying signals, he said, included delays over the promised withdrawal of government troops from southern areas, particularly oil areas.

The army missed a July 9 deadline to redeploy all its soldiers to the north of Sudan, as set out in the 2005 peace deal. Sudanese Oil Minister Ahmed Awad al-Jaz said on Saturday northern troops would be withdrawn from oil fields ''gradually''.

There were also concerns over delays in implementing a nationwide census, crucial to the success of democratic elections promised in 2009 and a vote on secession for the south.

The north-south peace accord mandated power and wealth sharing between the north and south, and granted south Sudan the right to decide in a referendum in 2011 if it wants to remain united with the north.

Secretary-general Pagan Amum of the former rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement said in July that perceived delays by the government in carrying out the peace deal could push southerners to choose independence.

'TIME OF ESSENCE' IN DARFUR On Darfur, Ban urged Bashir to help in the planned deployment of AU and UN peacekeepers, and said Bashir had replied that his government would provide ''all necessary administrative and logistical support''.

''Time is of the essence,'' Ban said. ''The government's cooperation is essential on a range of practical matters.'' Ban said he felt encouraged by the progress. Despite Khartoum's assent on the force, however, some Western diplomats say that only when troops deploy, probably early next year, will it be clear whether Sudanese authorities are really cooperating.

Ban said he had also stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Darfur to enable aid providers to carry out their work in safety. Ban said Bashir had responded by saying that while he supported the idea of a ceasefire, government forces needed to defend themselves if attacked.

The two men also discussed peace negotiations between Khartoum and some eight Darfur rebel groups that the UN hopes to stage in October, as well an international meeting on Darfur that should be held in New York on Sept 21.

Commentators have warned that a resumption in fighting between north and south Sudan would be a severe blow to efforts to find a resolution of the Darfur conflict.

Tomorrow, he is also scheduled to visit refugee camps in Darfur. His visit to the region will also include trips to Chad and Libya.

REUTERS PD BST1543