'Giant step forward' in Sudan referendum

Printers have delivered hundreds of thousands of registration books for Sudan's southern independence referendum, clearing a major hurdle in delayed preparations for the vote, organisers said.

United States senator John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, yesterday said after a three-day visit to Sudan that he had a written guarantee from Khartoum they would respect the outcome of next January's southern referendum on secession.

Preparations are lagging badly and there are fears of delays for the plebiscite which culminates a peace process begun in 2005 with a deal ending Africa's longest civil war.

A delay, no agreement on sharing southern oil revenues and growing north-south tensions have raised conflict fears.

South African printers flew 500,000 voter registration books to Khartoum yesterday, enough for southern voters currently in Sudan's 15 northern states, said the spokesman of the referendum's organising commission, Jamal Mohamed Ibrahim.

Millions more registration books will soon arrive in the southern capital Juba, he added.

Chan Reek Madut, deputy chairman, said the development was "a giant step forward".