Continuing the saga of the seemingly perpetually impending peace deal between the Ugandan government and notorious rebel leader Joseph Kony, it appears that Kony is finally going to emerge from the bush to sign a deal tomorrow. Last week, Kony claimed a variety of reasons -- including a lack of toilets -- for delaying his appearance at the remote outpost on the Congo-Sudan border for the signing ceremony. Whether he shows tomorrow or not, one very important question remains unanswered: will the peace last? Reuters hits the nail on the head:

The LRA chief's final intentions remain far from clear.

No outsiders have seen him in months, and even if he breaks cover to sign the final agreement, his fighters have refused to lay down their arms until the ICC warrants are scrapped.

Uganda's government has said it will ask for the indictments to be lifted only after a final deal is reached. It was not clear whether that meant the rebels had to disarm first too.

Disarmament, of course, is always easier said that done, yet it remains the crux of any responsible peace plan. Justice and accountability are important attendant issues as well, as both we and Opinio Juris have emphasized, but the key -- in the immediate term, at least -- is a cessation of violence. Kony and the LRA seem committed enough to combating their ICC indictments -- even acquiring visas to lobby the UN in New York -- to engage in the peace process, but this is a rather tenuous -- not to mention somewhat ironic -- basis for a robust and long-standing accord.

For now, we're waiting for Kony.

This is sort of bizarre. According to the Associated Press US-UN Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, speaking in the Dari language, told Afghanistan's Ariana Television network that he was planning on resigning. When the AP translated these remarks and out them to Khalilzad's spokesman, the spokesman said that the Ambassador "has no immediate plans to resign." Which is it?

What do you do if two of your countrymen -- including one high-ranking minister -- have been indicted for war crimes by the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court? Well, if you are the Sudanese Ambassador to the UN, you indict the Chief Prosecutor right back.

In a gesture that cannot help but be compared to the childhood retort of "I know you are, but what am I?" Abdel-Mahmood Mohamad has called for Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the man leading the nearly yearlong crusade to bring some of the perpetrators of the Darfur genocide to justice, to "be tried in court," branding him "politically bankrupt" and "enemy number one of peace in Darfur."

The absurd contention that Moreno-Ocampo is obstructing peace in Darfur naturally turns the problem exactly on its head. Mohamed, perhaps taking a page out of Joseph Kony's book, is appealing to the (misplaced) notion that, if the ICC prosecutions in Sudan were dropped, the Sudanese government would offer greater compliance. Mohamed's bluster is simply the latest -- and probably bluntest -- example of Sudan's hard-headed obstruction of the ICC's work in Darfur.

Darfur is not Northern Uganda, where an actual peace accord will, it seems, finally be signed in the next couple of days. The ICC's work in Darfur, then, must now be used as a stick to enforce compliance -- as well as, of course, to ensure justice and accountability. With such outright defiance of the UN, Sudan's leaders cannot simply claim, at this stage in the conflict, that the pursuit of justice is in any way undermining their none-too-credible support for peace.

>>Iraq - General Petreaus, testifying in front of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees yesterday, announced a pause in U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq that would be, at minimum, 45 days, but could last indefinitely. He also testified that "we haven't turned any corners. We haven't seen any lights at the end of the tunnel." The three U.S. presidential candidates all questioned Petreaus. The lucky winner in November will now, because of the pause, be guaranteed of inheriting a 100,000-strong troop presence in Iraq.

>>Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe's supreme court ruled yesterday that it would urgently address the opposition's application for an immediate release of the presidential election results. Also yesterday, South African president Thabo Mbeki said he will meet with opposition leader Tsvangirai, who met with ANC leader Jacob Zuma on Monday. The situation in Zimbabwe continues to grow more dire as the opposition has reported violent attacks on its supporters, organized gangs continue to drive white farmers off their land, and election officials have been arrested for allegedly "undercounting Mugabe."

>>Korea - U.S. Envoy Christopher Hill announced that progress had been made in talks between the U.S. and North Korea regarding the latter's delayed declaration of its nuclear activities. However, he cautioned that there had net yet been a "breakthrough." Meanwhile, North Korea announced that their compensation from the U.S. for a satisfactory declaration had been agreed upon.

• Danger in Kenya
• 'The Greatest Silence' Premiering on HBO Tonight!
• Swearing Off Nation Building
• The Benefits of Female UN Peacekeepers
• State Department Wittingly Letting Terrorists onto US Soil?

Africa

• Egypt - Palestinians say Bush will meet Abbas in Egypt
• Senegal - Senegal changes law to try Habre
• South Africa - SA power prices 'should double'
• Niger - Former slave, Hadijatou Mani, is suing state of Niger over cruelty
• Kenya - Kenya opposition halts talks, protests flare
• Kenya - Street protests in Kenya after unity talks collapse

Americas

• Venezuela - Bad Bart Simpson is banished for Baywatch in Venezuela
• U.S. - Italian bar helps 'poor' Americans
• Colombia - Rebels Reject French Mission for Hostage
• Mexico - Bees Attack Police
• Haiti - Protests over food prices paralyze Haitian capital
• Colombia - Hordes flock to auction of jailed drugs lord's possessions

Asia

• Russia - 'Two dead' in Russian cave siege
• Pakistan - Rebel world cricket series starts
• Pakistan - Leading Pakistan lawyer resigns
• Pakistan - Pakistan court acquits Bhutto's widower in murder case
• Nepal - Eight killed in violence ahead of Nepal polls
• China - China stands firm on Tibet relay
• China - Monks Disrupt Media Tour in China
• China - Australian PM Kevin Rudd warns China over human rights abuses in Tibet
• S. Korea - S.Korea votes for MPs, conservatives seek majority

Europe

• Spain - Spain looks to rebuild after property crash
• France - Arrests in Vandalism of Muslim Graves in North
• Germany - Report Details Catholic Role in Nazi Abuses
• Germany - Zoo under fire over Flocke publicity effect
• Poland - Poland seeks to boost Israel ties
• Ireland - On the Irish Coast, Reconsidering Energy From the Town Up
• Lithuania - Suicides in Lithuania show social pains persist
• Portugal - McCanns ponder return to Praia da Luz
• Czech Republic - Vaclav Klaus admits having affair with airline attendant no 3

Middle East

• Israel - 'Three dead' in Gaza border clash
• Israel - Former Israeli President Drops Plea Deal
• Jordan - Appeal court blocks deportation of terror suspects
• Iraq - Bush to press case against cutting Iraq force
• Iraq - Suzanne Goldenberg on the questioning of Gen. Petraeus
• Iraq - Iraq's Sadr threatens to scrap ceasefire
• Iraq - The Day's Other Iraq Policy Event -- The One With the Paparazzi