Sudan peace talks ‘encouraging’

TRIPOLI – After a weeklong trip to three African countries, the United Nations secretary general said he was encouraged by ‘credible progress’ toward settling one of the continent’s bloodiest conflicts in Sudan’s Darfur region.

Ban Ki-moon visited Chad, Libya and Sudan, meeting with leaders who promised to strive for a final settlement of the Darfur conflict at October 27 talks in Libya. He said: “I think we have made …credible progress at this time toward the path to peace and security in Darfur.I’m encouraged by this progress, but we must build upon this progress.”The secretary general said he asked several countries in the region, including Sudan, Chad, Libya, Egypt and Eritrea, to work on a roadmap for the peace talks that the UN would develop.It would be discussed at a high-level meeting in New York on September 21.UN envoy Jan Eliasson, who would be mediating the peace talks with his African Union counterpart, Salim Ahmed Salim, had said any final settlement in Darfur would require agreement on wealth-sharing, power-sharing and security issues.More than 200 000 people had died and 2,5 million had been uprooted in the last four years since ethnic African rebels in Darfur took up arms against the Arab-dominated Sudanese government in 2003, accusing it of decades of neglect.Sudan’s government was accused of retaliating by unleashing a militia of Arab nomads known as the janjaweed – a charge it denied.The UN and its allies must persuade Darfur’s fragmented rebel groups to sit down with the Sudanese government, a goal that had proved elusive in the past.Abdel Wahid Nur, one of the most influential rebel leaders, rejected Ban’s proposed conferences almost immediately.Nur, who led a major faction of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement group, boycotted other talks in early August, demanding as a precondition the cessation of hostilities on the ground.Ban on Sunday urged Nur to “look at the reality” and participate in the peace negotiations.He said: “If he regards himself as a leader …he should be prepared to make the right decision, the wise decision.If he really thinks for the future of Sudan …he should come.”Nampa-APHe said: “I think we have made …credible progress at this time toward the path to peace and security in Darfur.I’m encouraged by this progress, but we must build upon this progress.”The secretary general said he asked several countries in the region, including Sudan, Chad, Libya, Egypt and Eritrea, to work on a roadmap for the peace talks that the UN would develop.It would be discussed at a high-level meeting in New York on September 21.UN envoy Jan Eliasson, who would be mediating the peace talks with his African Union counterpart, Salim Ahmed Salim, had said any final settlement in Darfur would require agreement on wealth-sharing, power-sharing and security issues.More than 200 000 people had died and 2,5 million had been uprooted in the last four years since ethnic African rebels in Darfur took up arms against the Arab-dominated Sudanese government in 2003, accusing it of decades of neglect.Sudan’s government was accused of retaliating by unleashing a militia of Arab nomads known as the janjaweed – a charge it denied.The UN and its allies must persuade Darfur’s fragmented rebel groups to sit down with the Sudanese government, a goal that had proved elusive in the past.Abdel Wahid Nur, one of the most influential rebel leaders, rejected Ban’s proposed conferences almost immediately.Nur, who led a major faction of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement group, boycotted other talks in early August, demanding as a precondition the cessation of hostilities on the ground.Ban on Sunday urged Nur to “look at the reality” and participate in the peace negotiations.He said: “If he regards himself as a leader …he should be prepared to make the right decision, the wise decision.If he really thinks for the future of Sudan …he should come.”Nampa-AP