JUBA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan said Friday that it is capable of finding solution from within to the key outstanding issues with rebels rather than outside the country following approval by the main rebel group to sign the final peace deal in the Sudanese capital.
Mawien Makol, the foreign ministry spokesman, said outstanding issues can better be solved from within when the rebels return to Juba than at the forthcoming forum of the East African bloc IGAD that has been mediating the peace deal.
"There are issues in the agreement that can be discussed here. The outstanding issues cannot be discussed outside the country," Makol told Xinhua in Juba.
He added that they are relieved by the decision of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army-in Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) leader Riek Machar to initial the final peace agreement in Khartoum after he had refused to sign on Tuesday.
The outstanding issues that include revision of the current 32 states and the writing of new constitution are expected to be concluded at the next meeting of the IGAD Council of Ministers, according to mediators.
"We are finally happy that he (Machar) has approved the peace agreement. We agreed that some issues be discussed from within and should not be taken outside South Sudan," Makol disclosed.
Meanwhile, Edmund Yakani, the head of local civil society CEPO that monitors the peace agreement welcomed the SPLM/A-IO's approval of the peace agreement, saying it will help build lost trust between the government and rebels who have been fighting for over four years since December 2013.
"CEPO appreciates the efforts of Sudan mediation for making progress in making the conflicting parties resolve the outstanding issues of governance and security including making the parties initial the revitalized peace agreement," he said.
