Sudan committed to peaceful settlement of Darfur crisis – FM
April 23, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan on Sunday reiterated commitment to a peaceful settlement of the three-year conflict in the western region of Darfur.
“We are committed to finding a comprehensive settlement of the Darfur crisis through the negotiation currently underway in the Nigerian capital Abuja,” Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol told aforum of foreign diplomats in Sudan.
He said that the peace talks was “being strongly pushed by a visit of Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Mohammed Taha and his intensive meeting with the African Union (AU) mediators and negotiators of the two sides.”
A big progress had been achieved in the peace talks, he added.
He said that the Sudanese vice president met the AU special envoy and chief mediator Salim Ahmed Salim on Saturday forthe third time since he arrived in Abuja.
They discussed Salim’s recent visit to New York where he briefed the United Nations Security Council on the latest developments of the Abuja peace talks.
Salim told the Security Council on April 18 that a peace agreement was within reach by the April 30 deadline set by the AU, though concessions still need to be made on the sharing of wealth and power, security arrangements and other issues.
Meanwhile, Akol repeated accusation that Chad supported the rebel movements in Darfur due to “well-known tribal links between the Chadian regime and Darfur rebels”.
Such support resulted in the disputes between Chad and Sudan atthe very beginning, he said.
The minister reiterated his government’s commitment to the Tripoli agreement signed by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Chadian President Idris Deby during a mini African summit in the Libyan capital of Tripoli on Feb. 8.
Both Chad and Sudan promised not to harbor rebels on their territories or conduct hostile activities.
However, Deby announced on April 14 that his government had decided to break off diplomatic relations with Sudan, accusing Khartoum of supporting rebel assault on the Chadian capital of Ndjamena.
(Xinhua/ST)