African Press International (API)

Kampala (Uganda) The government of Uganda has denied allegation by Lords Resistance Army(LRA) leader Joseph Kony that President Museveni is pressuring the LRA to sign a peace agreement by setting deadlines before the LRA finishes their consultations.

This follows revelations by Gulu district Chairman, Norbert Mao this week, that Kony telephoned him recently complaining over government’s deadline of January 31st for the LRA to have signed a peace deal or government will resort to military means to defeat the LRA.

But Okello Oryem, the Minister of State for foreign Affairs who is also a key member of the government peace team said today it is the LRA who are dragging their feet towards reaching a peace settlement.

He accuses the LRA of coming up with excuses every now and then to postpone the peace talks that have already lasted more than 14months.

Oryem added that government is fully committed to the peace process and has agreed to give Kony and all LRA total amnesty if they agree to a peace deal. He told journalists in Kampala that government has promised to ensure Kony and the top LRA leaders indicted by the International Criminal Court will not face any charges.

The minister said this had been understood as the main concern of the LRA, but even after the government assurance, the LRA are yet to show positive signs to agree on a peace deal.

These counter accusations are putting the peace talks supposed to resume on 15th January 2008 in balance.

But the LRA says it was still holding consultations, but government has grown more suspicious of the LRA leadership following reports that Kony had ordered the killing of his pro peace talks deputy, Vincent Otti.

It is still unclear what the next step will be for the peace talks that were expected to bring peace to northern Uganda after more than 20year of war that killed and maimed many people, and displaced over 1.6million into camps.

Published by Korir, API/APN africanpress@chello.no source.apa