The SPLA and the Sudan government signed what may be the most important agreement they have ever reached regarding the war in south Sudan. This  mutual security deal involving the limited withdrawal of Sudanese government forces and the deployment of integrated peacekeeping forces (ie, units with both government and SPLA troops) is something new. Its still unclear when this force will be created and when it will be deployed, but the face that Sudan's Vice President, Ali Osman Taha and SPLA leader John Garang signed it indicates a diplomatic accommodation is no longer a distant prospect. This also looks a lot like a limited victory for the Dinka-backed SPLA.