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South Sudan peace talks continue in Ethiopia's capital

Xinhua, March 6, 2015 Adjust font size:

The South Sudan peace talks mediated by an East African bloc will continue on Friday though the deadline to conclude the peace talks had earlier been agreed by March 5.

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has been mediating the South Sudan peace negotiations to end the more than one year conflict in the world's newest nation.

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and his former vice, Riek Machar, signed the latest agreement on Feb. 1, 2015 to conclude the negotiations by March 5, and towards establishing transitional government no later than July 9 of this year.

As the deadline to finalize the South Sudan peace negotiations was approaching, the two principals launched face-to-face meeting on Tuesday, and have been negotiating under the IGAD-led mediation here in Addis Ababa.

IGAD Special Envoys for South Sudan announced on Thursday that President Kiir and Dr. Machar would continue negotiations on Friday, March 6.

The Special Envoys urged the Principals to use the limited time remains to make progress on the outstanding issues of the mediation agenda.

Seyoum Mesfin, IGAD Chief Mediator, told reporters that the Special Envoys on Thursday were consulting with the two principals separately, with President Kiir in the morning and with Dr. Machar in the afternoon.

"Today, it was separate consultation; separate consultation with the Envoys; that is what we have been doing today. After this consultation, then we will bring them tomorrow," he said.

Asked about the issues that have kept them apart, Seyoum replied and said, "The security area; the power sharing area; and the structure of the levels of the scope, the scope of the structure and the levels. These are the critical areas that.... still kept the parties apart, and they are tackling them." Endi