Representatives of the Sudanese Government and the SPLA rebels have failed to resolve their political differences at talks in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

However, they have agreed to extend their truce until 31 March 2003, with talks resuming in early January.

It's not a failure but it's not a full success

Mohamed Ahmed Dirdeiry, Sudanese diplomat

The sticking points remained the details about sharing power and wealth between north and south Sudan after a broad agreement was made in July.

The SPLA rebels have been fighting for greater autonomy for 19 years for the Christian and animist south from the Arabic-speaking Muslim north.

An estimated two million people have been killed and donors, led by the United States, have been putting pressure on both sides to end the conflict.

Oil wealth

Sudan's charge d'affaires in Kenya, Mohamed Ahmed Dirdeiry, told the BBC Focus on Africa programme that the two sides had not agreed on what percentage of civil servants and members of parliament would come from the south.

"It's not a failure but it's not a full success," he said.

The SPLA's Sampson Kwaje said that they wanted 40% of all posts reserved for southerners, while the government had offered between 20 and 25%.

"We had thought that during five weeks of negotiations, we would have reached something tangible," he said.

Over the weekend, the SPLA said it was ready to sign a deal proposed by the mediators but the government was unhappy with having a southern vice president.

"We had proposed that there be a vice president from the south, who could take over leadership in the event of the presidency falling vacant, but Khartoum has refused," an unnamed rebel official told the French news agency, AFP.

The president would come from the north.

AFP also reports that the SPLA are demanding 60% of oil revenues for the south, whereas the government has only offered 10%.

Mr Kwaje said that the capital, Khartoum, should be a secular city, exempt from Sharia law even though it was in the north.

In July, the government had agreed that the south would be exempt from Sharia.