BBC Online :
Direct talks on ending the conflict in South Sudan have officially opened in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
The negotiations are focusing on bringing about a ceasefire and the release of political prisoners.
The talks, led by teams representing the warring parties, are expected to get under way in earnest on Sunday.
Rebels supporting sacked Deputy President Riek Machar are involved in fierce fighting with the forces of President Salva Kiir. At least 1,000 people have been killed since the conflict began on 15 December. More than 180,000 people have been displaced.
Earlier fears that the talks in Ethiopia had been postponed indefinitely proved unfounded with the unexpected ceremonial opening at a hotel in Addis Ababa.
In a tweet on Saturday evening, the Ethiopian foreign ministry quoted the special envoy to South Sudan as saying “both the government & opposition of South Sudan have committed to resolve their political differences through political dialogue”. No timeline has been set, but mediators have asked the opposing parties to find quick solutions.
Refugees in Juba, 4 Jan More than 180,000 people have been displaced in the conflict The BBC’s Alastair Leithead in the South Sudan capital, Juba, says both sides think they have the upper hand and, with their positions so far apart, something dramatic must change for a speedy agreement.
South Sudan’s Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin told the BBC that the rebels would have to acknowledge that they had instigated a coup attempt. He said the government’s compromise was to have agreed to the talks.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday that the talks must not be “a delay gimmick in order to continue the fighting and try to find advantage on the ground at the expense of the people of South Sudan”.
