Sudan to move ahead on Darfur deal without rebel signatures

May 1, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan’s chief negotiator on Monday said rebel reluctance to sign a Darfur peace agreement was “regrettable,” but declared that Khartoum would begin immediately abiding by the plan regardless.

In what were believed to be the first comments from a Sudanese official since the two sides resumed contacts under a new Tuesday deadline, the chief Sudanese negotiator said the next move was up to the African Union, sponsor of the negotiations.

“The African Union has to decide what steps should be taken if the current round (of talks) fails,” chief negotiator Majzoub Khalifa told reporters.

“This would be a very regrettable situation. Anyone who obstructs peace efforts should be forced to bear responsibility,” he said by satellite phone from Abuja, Nigeria, where talks are being held.

AU mediators who wrote the draft agreement had originally demanded the two sides sign it by Sunday. They extended the talks by 48 hours under pressure from the United States after rebels rejected the draft late Sunday.

Khalifa warned the rebels that they would be dealt with “seriously,” saying his government, the AU and the United Nations would take “a number of steps” against them if they continue to reject the deal. He did not elaborate.

In accepting the draft, the government agreed to disarm a militia it is accused of unleashing on Darfur civilians, commit millions of dollars (euros) to rebuilding a region devastated by poverty and war, and compensate victims of the fighting.

Khalifa said the main stumbling block was the number of rebel forces to be included in the national army. The rebels also want the government to add a vice president from Darfur and unite its three states _ creating a more autonomous region. And they demand that compensation go to individual victims of violence, rather being included in plans for regional reconstruction.

Years of fighting between ethnic groups and Arab militias in Darfur have left some 200,000 people dead and between 2 and 3 million homeless. An agreement between Sudan and the rebels likely would be seen as a triumph of African diplomacy. The talks have been organized by the 53-nation African Union, with key participation from leaders from South Africa and Nigeria.

(ST/AP)