Boycott of Darfur rebels to negotiations was not useful: US Embassy

KHARTOUM, July 19, 2004 (SUNA) — The United States of America has stated that it does not belief it was useful for senior leaders of Darfur rebels to boycott the political talks in the seat of the African Union, Addis Ababa, or to set preconditions for continued dialogue.

The Embassy of the United States of America in Khartoum called in a statement it issued Monday on the Government of Sudan and rebels in Darfur to resume talks as soon as possible in order to reach a political solution to the conflict in Darfur, pointing out that the failure of the political talks between the government and the rebels should not be allowed to stand.

The embassy affirmed that the United States continues to encourage a political settlement in Darfur. It added that they expressed concern with violence in Darfur, disarming the militias and facilitating humanitarian relief.

The US Embassy said they believe that the agenda laid out by President of the Republic Gen. Omer Al-Bashir on June 29-the application of the Naivasha model of decentralization and federalism to all of Sudan-provides a solid basis for a political settlement, affirming that US encourages all those with a genuine interest in such a settlement to focus their energies on resolving the conflict through negotiations and dialogue.

The United States called on all parties to respect the N’djamena cease-fire and to cooperate fully with the international community’s efforts to assist the displaced and other conflict-affected people in Darfur.