Sudanese govt, rebels see peace deal as way to end Darfur conflict

BRUSSELS, Belgium, Mar 5, 2005 (AP) — John Garang, leader of Sudan’s main southern rebel group, called Saturday for the recently signed Sudan north-south peace deal to be applied to the conflict in Darfur, saying minority rights had to be protected there as well.

John Garang, head of the main southern Sudanese rebel group, speaks during a conference on ‘Federalism’ at the European Parliament in Brussels, Saturday March 5, 2005. (AP).

Garang and Sudanese Vice-President Ali Osman Mohammed Taha, both attending an international conference on federalism in Brussels, said they were working to implement their peace treaty which ends the 21-year civil war in the African country.

“We are serious about implementing the agreement,” Garang told reporters after meeting Taha in the margins of the three-day conference, which ended Saturday.

The conference concluded that the benefits of systems offering regional representative government could help solve conflicts, such as those in Sudan, Iraq or Cyprus, or guarantee minority rights.

“It can largely contribute to solving these problems,” said Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, pointing to examples in Macedonia and Ethiopia.

Garang said his Sudan People’s Liberation Army was sending a 70-person delegation to the Sudanese capital of Khartoum in the first phase of implementing the north-south peace accord, signed by Garang and Taha on Jan. 9.

He also reiterated calls for the end of fighting in other parts of Sudan, including Darfur, where a two-year rebellion has left tens of thousands dead and nearly two million displaced.

“Darfur needs a solution,” Garang said. “The peace agreement can be adapted and applied in Darfur and in eastern Sudan.” He noted that the north-south deal addressed the concerns of the 500 different ethnic groups of Sudan.

Taha, who also addressed the conference, agreed, saying the peace accord “provides a solid basis for solving other conflicts in Darfur.”

Delegates from 25 countries, including Canada, attended the conference. The next meeting will be held in India in either 2007 or 2008.