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WORLD / Africa

Darfur peace talks to resume on Oct 27

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-09-07 15:01

KHARTOUM -- Peace talks between the Sudanese government and Darfur rebels
to resume on October 27 in Libya, announced here Thursday by visiting UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (L) and Sudanese President
Omar al-Beshir stand together at a joint press conference after meeting
in Khartoum. [Xinhua]

A joint communique issued by Ban Ki-moon and al-Bashir after their talks
in Khartoum stressed the importance of reaching apolitical solution to
the conflict erupted in the western Sudanese region in February 2003.

"It is welcomed that invitations will be issued by the UN Secretary
General and the African Union (AU) commissioner for the resumption of the
peace negotiations on October 27," the joint communique said.

Although the date and place of the next negotiations have been defined,
it is still unknown whether all the rebel groups in Darfur will agree on
their participation.

The UN and the African Union had promised in July that the UN secretary
general and Alfa Omar Konare, the AU commissioner, would send by the end
of August invitations to the parties concerned to attend the next round
of the Darfur peace negotiations.

The deadline was missed because of differences among the Darfur rebels,
whose factions have increased to more than a dozen from three during the
past year.

Some of the Darfur rebel groups agreed to resume the peace talks within
two to three months during their meeting in Arusha, Tanzania, in last
month, while some others boycotted the Arusha meeting and have not
announced their positions on the next negotiations.

In the communique, the UN chief also called on all the parties to "fully
cooperate" with the UN and AU special envoys for Dafur in order to
guarantee the holding of the negotiations as soon as possible.

As for the expected deployment of the hybrid AU-UN peacekeeping forces in
Darfur, Ban Ki-moon vowed that the UN would do its best with the AU and
the Sudanese government for the deployment of the UN-AU joint
peacekeeping force in Darfur "at a suitable time" in order to consolidate
the peace in the region.

The Sudanese president welcomed the visit of the UN secretary general in
his country, underlining the importance of the visit in fortifying the
partnership between Sudan and the UN for realizing the peace, stability
and development.

He reiterated that the Sudanese government would cooperate with the UN
and AU special envoys in preparation for the peace talks, and would
"constructively take part in the negotiations."

Al-Bashir also announced that his government would work with the UN and
AU for facilitating the implementation of the joint peacekeeping
operation of the two organizations in Darfur.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution on July 31 authorizing the
deployment of the 26,000-strong AU-UN hybrid peacekeeping forces in
Darfur.

The Sudanese government and the AU have agreed that a majority of the
peacekeepers will come from the African countries.

Ban Ki-moon arrived in Khartoum on Monday on his first official visit in
the African country since he took office in January this year.

During the visit, The UN chief held two meetings with the Sudanese
president and paid a field tour in southern Sudan and Darfur.

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