South Sudans conflicting parties have reached consensus on a final peace deal draft expected to be signed with initial letters in Khartoum on Aug. 27, South Sudans Information Minister said Wednesday. We are expected to sign with initial letters on a comprehensive peace agreement next Monday, South Sudans Information Minister and government spokesman Michael Makuei told Xinhua Wednesday. The parties have overcome most of the issues of differences which we discussed during the third round of South Sudans peace talks starting in Khartoum on Aug. 13, he noted. He said the current round of talks discussed issues that were not resolved in the framework and the power-sharing and security arrangements agreements. We have discussed issues relating to powers of the vice presidents, formation of the committees responsible for formulating the constitution, the judiciary committee and the number of the states and their borders, said Makuei. The comprehensive deal, expected to be signed on Aug. 27, will be complementary to the previous two agreements and include resolutions of outstanding issues that had not been resolved before. Last June, the parties, negotiating in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, signed Khartoum Peace Agreement on South Sudan. Also, on Aug. 5, the parties signed a deal on power-sharing and security arrangements. The third round of peace talks between the South Sudanese rivals started in Khartoum on Aug. 13 to discuss the outstanding issues relating to powers of the president and vice presidents, representation in the judicial authority, revision of the number of the states and naming new ministries. Earlier, the South Sudanese opposition alliance demanded revision of the administrative division of South Sudan and reconsideration of the number of the 32 states. In October 2015, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir issued a decree dissolving the Council of the States, which operated under the administrative division of ten states, and establishing 28 states. In January 2017, Kiir issued a separate decree establishing an additional four states. Xinhua
