Sunday, September 14, 2008

KONY SAYS LRA READY TO SIGN PEACE AGREEMENT

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Sunday, September 14, 2008
Story by: Agencies
SUNDAY TIMES

The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has announced that it is ready to sign the peace agreement negotiated with the Ugandan Government in Juba, Sudan but will not disarm until warrants of arrest against its top leadership are revoked. LRA leader Joseph Kony said the date of signing the agreement will be set on Wednesday next week during a meeting between LRA representatives, chief mediator Riek Machar, former Mozambique President Joachim Chissano and a group of selected leaders.

In a press release sent to the newsroom, LRA spokesman Dr David Nyekorach Matsanga said Kony instructed him to inform the world that the warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and other issues must be resolved first by the Joint Liaison Group (JLG) composed of LRA and Ugandan Government representatives in line with the Juba agreement.

“The meeting will also address issues on the protocol and spell out what role each party will play as well as the process of implementation of the peace agreement,” he said. Matsanga said LRA’s top command had directed him as the leader of the delegation to move fast in search of peace that the people of Northern and Eastern Uganda have long waited for.

He welcomed Machar’s statement as a sign of good faith for the peace process adding that for more than 22 years they had longed for a time when the people could start rebuilding their lives. LRA has also warned the international community of a dubious group of individuals purporting to represent their interests saying such characters want the war to continue for their own selfish reasons and monetary benefit.

He said the group, which has been against the peace talks for a long time was based in Europe and other parts of the world but has nothing to do with LRA and is only out to cause confusion and derail the process. He defended LRA against claims that it was a tribal grouping adding those people who have consistently criticized the peace agreement had not offered any single solution or sound proposals towards realizing peace in Northern Uganda.

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