US presses for Sudan peace deal

Powell: Diplomatic muscle could bring deal closer

America could review its sanctions against Sudan the government there reaches a peace deal with southern rebels, US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said.

The Khartoum government and the rebels are currently involved in talks in Kenya to end Sudan's 20-year civil war.

Mr Powell arrived in Nairobi on Monday, saying he hoped to encourage both sides to reach an agreement on the final sticking points.

He said a deal would "turn a page" in US-Sudanese relations, although he reiterated American demands for Sudan to close down the Khartoum offices of Palestinian militant groups.

"With a complete and comprehensive agreement it makes it possible for us to review the various sanctions that are in place," he said.

Security

Hopes are high that an agreement will soon be reached as a result of the talks in the town of Naivasha, outside the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

Sudan's Vice President Ali Osman Taha and chief southern rebel leader John Garang have both said they are determined to reach a settlement to end Africa's longest-running civil war.

Previous talks ended last month with an agreement on security during a six-year transition period, before a referendum on the future of the south.

The key remaining issues to be discussed include the distribution of Sudan's oil wealth and how power will be shared in the capital, says the BBC's Alistair Leithead in Nairobi.

The week-long talks will also discuss what will happen to three contentious areas - including the Nuba mountains - that fall between northern and southern Sudan.

"We are getting closer and the most difficult issues - the security issues - have been dealt with, and there's now good faith being demonstrated on both sides," said Mr Powell.

The US has listed Sudan as a "state sponsor of terrorism" claiming Palestinian militant groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad are operating from Khartoum.

Sudan's civil war erupted in 1983 when rebels took up arms to end what it saw as the domination of the Christian and Animist south by the Muslim north.

The violence has claimed more than 1.5 million lives.