Darfur crisis should be solved through peaceful talks: Belgian defense minister

KHARTOUM, Aug 21, 2004 (Xinhua) — Belgian Minister of Defense Andre Flahaut, who is now in Sudan’s western Darfur region on a visit, said Saturday that the Darfur crisis should be solved through peace talks as early as possible and Belgium will offer help, Sudan news agency reported.

Flahaut arrived in Al-Fashir, capital of North Darfur state Saturday afternoon During the meeting with the governor of North Darfur, Flahaut praised the Sudanese government’s efforts on the refugee issues and the cooperation with international humanitarian organizations.

The governor reiterate the government’s willingness and determination to resolve the Darfur crisis through negotiations. He urged the international community to adopt a just, neutral attitude on the issue instead of putting all the pressure on the Sudanese government, which has sent a wrong signal to the rebel groups and complicated the problem.

The peace talks between the government and rebel groups in Darfur will open in the Nigerian capital of Abuja next Monday.

He added that since a cease-fire agreement was signed between Sudanese government and rebel groups on April 8 in Ndjamena, Chad, the rebel groups frequently broken the cease-fire and hampered humanitarian aid efforts by looting and blocking roads.

Some 70,000 of the 330,000 refugees in the war-torn North Darfur state have returned home, he said. The returned refugees still need assistance from international humanitarian organizations, as the conflict has damaged infrastructure there, he added.

Darfur has been beset by an 18-month conflict between rebel forces of local black tribes, the government and the Arab militia known as the Janjaweed since February 2003. The conflict has created what the United Nations called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, in which more than 10,000 people have been killed.