Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army rebels are seeking a 12-month suspension in the arrest warrants against their leaders issued by the International Criminal Court.
James Obita, the technical advisor to the rebels' negotiating team, tells VOA the rebels will ask for the suspension when peace talks with the Ugandan government resume Thursday in Juba, southern Sudan.
He says in connection with that request, the rebels will propose an "alternative justice system" to deal with war crimes committed during the rebels' 20-year uprising in northern Uganda.
LRA fighters are accused of killing and mutilating thousands of civilians during the conflict. The International Criminal Court has indicted five top rebel leaders on war crimes charges.
The LRA has demanded those charges be dropped as a condition for signing any peace deal.
The 10-month-old peace talks have achieved some progress, including a ceasefire that the sides extended in April.
