Sudan peace talks break to study draft humanitarian resolution

ABUJA, Aug 30 (AFP) — Sudanese peace talks broke up here Monday to allow rebel and government negotiators to examine a draft resolution on a joint response to the humanitarian crisis in Sudan’s war-torn western province of Darfur.

African Union mediators hope that an agreement on how to alleviate the plight of Darfur’s 1.2 million displace people will serve as a stepping stone to a broader political dialogue aimed at resolving the 18-month-old conflict.

“The AU secretariat delivered the draft to the two sides,” Sudan’s chief negotiator, Agriculture Minister Majzoub al-Kalifa told reporters outside the conference venue in the Nigerian capital Abuja.

“The rebels demanded more time to discuss this draft, and so we will reconvene tomorrow at three o’clock (1400 GMT),” he explained.

Rebel negotiator Ahmed Mohammed Tugod said: “We received a draft and we are going to study it. We will resume talks tomorrow.”

The United Nations Security Council is to meet on Thursday to debate its next move on the conflict after a 30-day deadline for Khartoum to disarm its proxy militia and ensure the safety of the displaced expire on Sunday night.