From UPI.
Published: Feb. 19, 2008 at 1:40 PM
KAMPALA, Uganda, Feb. 19 (UPI) — Ugandan officials agreed to let domestic courts try alleged war criminals as part of negotiations for a final peace agreement with rebels, a report says.
The Ugandan national newspaper, New Vision, said Monday Ugandan officials said a final cease-fire agreement could be signed between the Ugandan government and the LRA by the end of February. A Ugandan official is quoted in the BBC Tuesday saying a final deal will be signed “soon.”
The LRA so far refused to lay down their weapons because the International Criminal Court has warrants out for three of its top leaders. The ICC charged LRA chief Joseph Kony in 2005 with ordering attacks against civilians.
Ugandan negotiators said they will use a division of the Ugandan High Court to deal with grave matters instead of the ICC. The lower traditional systems of justice will handle lesser crimes, the BBC said.
Negotiation teams consider the dismantling of the LRA part of the final cease-fire, though New Vision said many LRA rebels left their strongholds in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo for the Central African Republic.
Uganda has asked for a monitoring team to find rebel strongholds, calling the movement to CAR a violation of cease-fire agreements.
