UNITED NATIONS, June 27 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday commended the continued efforts of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD)-led High Level Revitalization Forum to facilitate the peace process in South Sudan.

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar agreed earlier Wednesday to a "permanent" ceasefire to take effect within 72 hours, raising hopes of an end to four-and-a-half years of conflict.

Speaking through UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, Guterres said he is encouraged by the declaration of agreement.

The secretary-general noted that the agreement is signed at a time when the security situation in parts of South Sudan continues to deteriorate, marked by violations of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement of December 2017.

Therefore, he welcomed the parties renewed commitment to redouble their efforts in the interest of peace.

Welcoming the intention of the parties to continue negotiations to finalize the IGAD bridging proposals, Guterres urged all parties to demonstrate political leadership and engage to reach agreement on the outstanding issues of governance and security arrangements.

Working together with IGAD and the African Union (AU), the UN stands ready to support the leadership and people of South Sudan in moving towards a fair, inclusive and implementable agreement, he said.

Wednesday's deal reportedly would allow members of the AU and the IGAD, an East African regional group that has been pushing peace efforts, to deploy the necessary forces to supervise the agreed permanent ceasefire.?