South Sudan Says Optimistic over Peace Deal with Rebels

South Sudan's government said Saturday it was optimistic it may soon sign a ceasefire agreement with rebels, amid the first signs that peace talks underway in neighboring Ethiopia could be making progress.

A spokesman for President Salva Kiir said the government's chief negotiator, who had been back in Juba for consultations, was preparing to return to Addis Ababa intent on signing a truce.

"He will be leaving to Addis to sign the cessation of hostilities, and you heard that the side of the rebels has accepted," said the spokesman, Ateny Wek Ateny.

"The government is ready to sign a cessation of hostilities tomorrow or on Monday. The chief negotiator had come here to consult on the conditions imposed by the rebels," he added, without specifying if all of the differences had been ironed out.

Speaking in the Ethiopian capital, top rebel negotiator Mabior Garang said a draft deal presented by IGAD, the East African bloc that is brokering the talks, had been accepted by the rebel side.

"We have seen a draft agreement for a cessation of hostilities that we could sign, but we are waiting for our counterparts (the government) to agree," he said, but cautioned that the opposition had doubts about the government's "sincerity".

"They might be trying to improve their situation on the ground militarily before we reach an agreement," he added.

The comments came as the Ethiopia-based African Union said it was getting increasingly frustrated with the slow pace of talks aimed at ending the conflict, which began as a clash between rival troops loyal to Kiir and ex-vice president Riek Machar and as since escalated into a major ground war.

"The progress has not been encouraging at all," said Erastus Mwencha, deputy head of the AU Commission.

"First thing is we have to think of the people because at the end of the day the most important thing is to save lives. If there is ceasefire then people can receive assistance," he said, complaining that "conditions for ceasefire are getting longer and longer."

Delegates from South Sudan's government and rebels have been meeting in a luxury hotel in the Ethiopian capital for the past two weeks.

Later on Saturday evening, rebel spokesman Lul Ruai Koang announced that South Sudan rebels retreated from the strategic town of Bor, insisting the move was a "tactical withdrawal".

"We withdrew without firing a single shot," the spokesman said from the Ethiopian capita.

Army spokesman Philip Aguer had earlier said that South Sudanese soldiers backed by Ugandan troops had recaptured Bor, the capital of Jonglei State, in the afternoon following days of fierce fighting.