Naivasha accord critical for Darfur peace – Garang

LONDON, Sept 4 (Reuters) – Rebel leader John Garang called on the Sudanese government on Saturday to quickly resolve outstanding issues in talks on ending the country’s civil war in the south in order to address the Darfur crisis in the west.

“Given the very desperate situation in Darfur, it is absolutely urgent we complete the Naivasha process very quickly,” Garang said in an interview broadcast on CNN.

Garang, head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and its political wing the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), and government representatives have been involved in two years of talks in Naivasha, Kenya, to reach an agreement ending a 21-year civil war that has killed 2 million people.

Accords signed in May make the SPLM and the ruling National Congress Party the main partners in a coalition government, but outstanding issues remain before the accord takes affect. This week the Sudanese government and rebels extended their truce for three months but did not set a date for talks to resume.

“We’re waiting for the government to come to Naivasha,” Garang said.

While the negotiations do not involve a 19-month conflict in Sudan’s vast western region of Darfur, Garang said the talks are the key to peace there.

“The solution to Darfur, I see it as coming really through the Naivasha process. That is having a government of national unity in Khartoum which will be better able to solve the problem of Darfur. It’s very urgent indeed,” he said.

The Darfur conflict erupted in February 2003, in part inspired by the success of southern rebels in bringing the Sudanese government to the negotiating table through armed resistance.

Rebels, who revolted after years of low-level clashes between African farmers and Arab nomads over scarce resources, met opposition from Arab militias and government forces.

The United Nations says fighting has killed up to 50,000 people and created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.