France hopes Khartoum to really disarm militias

PARIS, June 21, 2004 (Xinhua) — France hoped Monday the Sudanese government to implement its decision to disarm the militias in Sudan’s war-ravaged western Darfur region.
Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir ordered in a statement issued by the state radio to disarm the militias in Darfur.

“These declarations are in accordance with the Sudanese government’s commitment made in the negotiations ended in N’ Djamena on April 8,” said Cecile Pozzo di Borgo, spokeswoman of the French Foreign Ministry.

“We hope the Sudanese authorities to concretize and implement their commitment in order to end the persistent insecurity in Darfur and to ensure humanitarian operators’ free access to the people,” she added.

But she did not confirm the planned talks between a Sudanese government delegation and rebels from the western Darfur region in Paris on Tuesday.

The official Al Anbaa daily said State Humanitarian Affairs Minister Mohamed Yusuf Abdallah would fly to Paris on Monday at the head of the high-level government delegation for talks with the Justice and Equality Movement and other factions carrying arms against the government in Darfur.

“I have no information,” said the spokeswoman.

Arab militias and government troops entered in conflict in Darfur since rebels rose up in February 2003, killing at least 10, 000 people and forced more than a million to leave homes and seek refuge in Chad, according to UN information.