Rebels welcome Sudan peace plan

Rebels have been fighting for autonomy since 1983

The rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) has given a cautious welcome to the latest Libyan-Egyptian initiative aimed at ending Sudan's 18-year civil war.

SPLA spokesman Samson Kwaje told the BBC that the initiative enhanced the prospects for peace.

On Wednesday, the Sudanese Government followed the opposition in announcing that it had also accepted the plan.

The initiative calls on both sides - the government and the opposition - to set up a committee leading to a national reconciliation conference.

The plan also calls for constitutional reforms and a transitional government.

Mr Kwaje did caution that he thought the peace plan should be merged with that of the East African regional grouping, IGAD.

And he added that it should also address SPLA demands for self-determination and include a constitutional separation between religion and state.

No referendum

The initiative does not include the key SPLA demand of a referendum on self-determination for the southern part of Sudan.

Unlike the Muslim north, Sudan's southerners are mostly Christians and animists.

They have little in common culturally with the north and they have spent the last 18 years fighting for greater autonomy.

Analysts say it is too early to tell what kind of a deal they will eventually win from the central government in Khartoum.

But one commentator remarked that the Libyan-Egyptian initiative could be the last chance for peace in Sudan.