Sudan rejects no-fly zone for Darfur, damping peace hopes

ABUJA, Nigeria, Nov 6, 2004 (AP) — Sudan’s government said Saturday it wouldn’t budge from its rejection of a no-fly zone for its bloodied Darfur region, threatening hopes for the first, partial accord after months of African Union-sponsored peace talks.

Magzoub El Khaliffa Ahmed, Sudan’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry and head of Sudan’s delegation, talks with the media after peace talks with rebels in Abuja, Nigeria October 27, 2004.

The head of the Sudanese government delegation, Majzoub Khalifa, told The Associated Press he was insisting that African Union mediators scrap the latest draft security accord with its no-fly zone, and go back to a version that doesn’t mention a ban on military flights.

The current draft calls for “an effective cease-fire on land and air, in particular: refraining from all hostilities and military actions.”

Sudan’s Arab-dominated government is accused of bombing non-Arab villages in Darfur in coordination with ground attacks by government-allied forces including Arab tribal militia known as Janjaweed.

The government denies backing the militias in its 20-month effort to crush non-Arab rebel groups in Darfur.

Allam-Mi Ahmad, the chairman of the talks, said mediators weren’t willing to change the wording of the document now on the table.

“The mediation team has done the maximum possible to reconcile the different positions,” said Ahmad. “It is not worth going back on ourselves.”

Ahmad said the talks would continue for no more than another week – and might be suspended if no agreement is reached during that time.

Two previous rounds of talks, convened under international pressure on both sides, failed to produce even partial accords.

In New York, a U.N. draft resolution on Friday urged warring parties to reach peace agreements while promising international support and possible debt forgiveness if they do.

But the draft also reiterates that the Security Council will consider “further urgent action” against any party in the Darfur conflict that fails to implement an April cease-fire.