Sudan's make or break talks

Attempts to revive the stalled peace process, aimed at ending the 20-year war in Sudan, have begun in Kenya.

Mr Garang says he is ready to take tough decisions

The talks in the central town of Naivasha are the first face to face talks between rebel leader John Garang and the Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Taha and are being seen as critical.

The civil war in Sudan, between the mainly Christian rebels in the south and the Islamic government of the north, has cost the lives of hundred of thousands of ordinary Sudanese.

A ceasefire has more or less been holding on the ground in south Sudan, but the rebels are making it clear that a big gulf remains between the two sides.

Kenyan Foreign Minister Kalonzo Musyoka told journalists on Friday morning: "The whole world is putting pressure on Khartoum and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) to reach a peace agreement,"

"They are determined to bring peace to their country and have agreed that this process is irreversible," he said.

But speaking on Thursday, Mr Garang warned that the peace talks were in danger of collapse and he said he was ready to negotiate and take tough decisions.

"The issues of the presidency, the issues of wealth sharing, the issue of security arrangements, the issues of power sharing, and the issue of the three conflict areas are the major issues that are outstanding," he said.

Hardliner

The BBC's Ishbel Matheson says that Mr Taha is a powerful political figure in Khartoum; one observer described him as the power behind the throne.

He is also seen as a hardliner, someone not instinctively supportive of the peace process.

Our reporter says that if the two men do not manage to narrow their differences, reaching a final settlement to this civil war will be more difficult than ever.

Earlier, a different rebel group, fighting the government in Darfur in the west of Sudan, has announced a ceasefire.

The Darfur rebels are said to believe that a settlement between the southern SPLA and Khartoum could open the way for them to press their claims for land rights and an end to the rivalry between black African and Arabic communities in the region.