The US says it is not optimistic that Friday's one-day talks will produce an immediate result.
The conflict has left thousands dead and more than one million homeless.The UN has accused both sides of crimes against humanity, including mass killings, sexual slavery and gang-rape.
A deal brokered by Kenya on Thursday that
will result in treason charges against several South Sudanese
politicians being dropped is being seen as a step towards ending the
country's brutal civil war
Both President Salva Kiir (R with UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon) and rebel leader Riek Macha are under
intense diplomatic pressure to reach an agreement
"But if they can agree on a broad-based process on how to resolve the conflict, end the fighting, that would be a step forward."Ms Page said that people wanted peace and could not
understand why the country should have descended into war barely three
years since independence.
Peace mediators in Ethiopia confirmed that Mr Machar arrived in Ethiopia on Thursday in preparation for the talks in Addis Ababa.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende said in an interview that the talks between Mr Kiir and Mr Machar should include an outline for an inclusive transitional government.
"Otherwise, there will be consequences that will follow," he said. "We will increase our pressure on the parties. Even tougher measures will follow in the coming weeks if there is no political will to solve the crisis."Correspondents say more far-reaching international sanctions could be imposed against both sides if there is no discernible progress in reaching an agreement.
The violence began when President Kiir accused sacked deputy Mr Machar, of plotting a coup.
Mr Machar denied the allegation, but then marshalled a rebel army to fight the government.
The battle assumed ethnic overtones, with Mr Machar relying heavily on fighters from his Nuer ethnic group and Mr Kiir from his Dinka community.The UN has about 8,500 peacekeepers in South Sudan, which became the world's newest state after seceding from Sudan in 2011.
However, they have struggled to contain the conflict, and the government has accused the UN mission of siding with the rebels.It denies the allegation.
Fighting erupted in the South Sudan
capital, Juba, in mid-December. It followed a political power struggle
between President Salva Kiir and his ex-deputy Riek Machar. The squabble
has taken on an ethnic dimension as politicians' political bases are
often ethnic.
The conflict has left thousands dead and more than one million homeless.The UN has accused both sides of crimes against humanity, including mass killings, sexual slavery and gang-rape.
"Widespread and systematic" atrocities were
carried out in homes, hospitals, mosques, churches and UN compounds, a
UN report said on Thursday, calling for those responsible to be held
accountable.
An estimated five million people are in need of aid, the UN says.South Sudan broke away from Sudan in 2011 after decades of conflict with the Khartoum government.'Step forward'A peace deal was signed by the two leaders in January but failed to bring an end to the violence."I don't believe that [the two sides] will reach an agreement
straight away," US Ambassador to South Sudan Susan Page said during a
radio call-in show.
A deal brokered by Kenya on Thursday that
will result in treason charges against several South Sudanese
politicians being dropped is being seen as a step towards ending the
country's brutal civil war
Both President Salva Kiir (R with UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon) and rebel leader Riek Macha are under
intense diplomatic pressure to reach an agreement
Peace mediators in Ethiopia confirmed that Mr Machar arrived in Ethiopia on Thursday in preparation for the talks in Addis Ababa.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende said in an interview that the talks between Mr Kiir and Mr Machar should include an outline for an inclusive transitional government.
"Otherwise, there will be consequences that will follow," he said. "We will increase our pressure on the parties. Even tougher measures will follow in the coming weeks if there is no political will to solve the crisis."Correspondents say more far-reaching international sanctions could be imposed against both sides if there is no discernible progress in reaching an agreement.
The violence began when President Kiir accused sacked deputy Mr Machar, of plotting a coup.
Mr Machar denied the allegation, but then marshalled a rebel army to fight the government.
The battle assumed ethnic overtones, with Mr Machar relying heavily on fighters from his Nuer ethnic group and Mr Kiir from his Dinka community.The UN has about 8,500 peacekeepers in South Sudan, which became the world's newest state after seceding from Sudan in 2011.
However, they have struggled to contain the conflict, and the government has accused the UN mission of siding with the rebels.It denies the allegation.
Fighting erupted in the South Sudan
capital, Juba, in mid-December. It followed a political power struggle
between President Salva Kiir and his ex-deputy Riek Machar. The squabble
has taken on an ethnic dimension as politicians' political bases are
often ethnic.
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