Peace talks aimed at ending the war in northern Uganda have adjourned for a week, after what the chief mediator calls "substantial progress."
Riek Machar says Ugandan government and rebel negotiators decided to adjourn for consultations with their leaders.
Machar is vice president of the southern Sudanese regional government, which is attempting to mediate an end to the 20-year conflict.
He did not elaborate on what progress had been made between the sides, which have publicly been at odds over how to proceed. Last week, Ugandan officials rejected the rebels' demand for a cease-fire, saying a truce could come only after a peace agreement is reached.
Machar said the talks in southern Sudan's capital, Juba, will resume on July 31.
Ugandan newspapers report that Machar is helping to organize a meeting this week between rebel leader Joseph Kony and a group of relatives, including his mother.
The visit is considered a "confidence building" measure for Kony, who remains in hiding in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Kony and four top aides face charges of war crimes from the International Criminal Court. Their rebel Lord's Resistance Army is accused of killing, kidnapping, and mutilating thousands of civilians during its long war against the Ugandan government.