allAfrica.com * Give Kony More Time, Says Machar The Monitor (Kampala) NEWS 18 June 2008 Posted to the web 18 June 2008 By Badru Mulumba Kampala The mediator of the Uganda peace talks recommended on Monday that the already signed aspects of the peace agreement be implemented, even without rebel leader appending his signature to the deal. Dr. Riek Machar, the Government of Southern Sudan Vice President said he would continue to reach out to Joseph Kony. "The government of Southern Sudan prefers a peace resolution of this conflict," Dr Machar said. "It therefore invites the LRA leadership to return to complete the dialogue process, it was instrumental in beginning." The report comes barely two weeks since the Lords Resistance Army attacked a Sudan People's Liberation Army detach at the Congo border, accusing southern Sudan of entering a military pact with Uganda and DR-Congo to attack the rebels. Information Minister Dr. Changson Chang has since said no such agreement has been approved by the Southern Sudan government. According to the summary of Dr Machar's report, released by the Peace Talks Secretariat, the mediator considers that the agreements signed in Juba are all sound and legally valid and deserve to be implemented in full. Dr Machar has recommended an interim period within which four key activities would be undertaken. He said despite Kony's failure to sign the Final Peace Agreement, the government of southern Sudan will 'continue engagement with the LRA to persuade its leadership' to sign and implement in full the Final peace Agreement. Dr Machar has also proposed that "some elements of the agreement signed in Juba should begin to be implemented immediately, in good faith, pending signature" of the final peace agreement. "These agreements provide for important interventions, including social and economic provisions for the benefits of war-affected communities, who deserve those benefits now," he said. Dr Machar has also proposed to retain some of the institutions and administrative mechanisms established during the Juba peace talks. The institutions proposed to be retained include Cessation of Hostilities Monitoring Team and the oversight functions of the office of the Mediator. Machar also proposes that the international community continues to render financial support for the peace process to attain sustainable peace in the region. "The Juba Peace Process moves on," said the report. In his report, Dr Machar also says he is determined to work with Ugandan community leaders and all regional and international supporters to persuade the LRA to return to the implementation process. He said he was confident that these efforts will bear fruit and lead to a lasting settlement for this long and painful conflict. "It's essential to continue to encourage the LRA to re-engage with the peace process and complete formal signing of the Final Peace Agreement," Dr Machar said. "If we succeed in this, then we would be able to proceed with the full implementation of the agreements." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 2008 The Monitor. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quantcast