Britain urges Sudanese government and rebels to negotiate peace

LONDON, Feb 11, 2005 (AP) — U.K. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw Friday urged the Sudanese government and two rebel factions to return to the negotiating table and end the violence that has wracked the western region of Darfur for two years.

Following talks in London with Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail, Straw said the crisis in Darfur was still “extremely worrying.”

“I urge all sides to stop the fighting, to abide by the commitments they have made, and then to return to the negotiating table in Abuja. This can be the only way to a lasting peace in Darfur.”

During an African Union summit in January, Sudan ‘s government and Darfur rebels pledged to reopen peace talks this month, but have yet to set a date.

International Development Secretary Hilary Benn welcomed Khartoum’s pledge to withdraw its air force bombers from Darfur, where they have allegedly been used against villages sympathetic to rebels.

Darfur has been torn by conflict since early 2003, when rebels of ethnic African tribes took up arms, complaining of neglect and discrimination by the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum. A pro-government Arab militia then launched a counterinsurgency campaign in which thousands were killed and hundreds of thousands were driven from their homes. An estimated 2 million people have been displaced in the conflict.