AU unveils Darfur peace deal
2006-04-26 20:22
Abuja - African Union mediators have presented the warring parties in Sudan's devastated western region of Darfur with a draft peace agreement, and urged to them to sign the deal before the end of the week.
Chief mediator Salim Ahmed Salim said: "Today is the day that gives me the singular honour of presenting to the parties the draft Darfur peace agreement and I commend it to you for your serious consideration.
"This is decision time. No more procrastination, no more antics, no more delaying tactics. The eyes of the world are on you.
"The people of Darfur are looking up to you. Africa is encouraging you."
The AU and United Nations has increased pressure on the two sides to accept a deal. Neither the Khartoum government nor Darfur's rebel movements have been ready to put pen to paper.
Salim said his team hoped the parties would be in a position to give their reaction by Thursday. He assured them the draft peace package covered all the issues discussed in two years of negotiations in Abuja, Nigeria.
'I urge you to accept'
Salim said: "This is a peace agreement that I can as chief mediator along with my colleagues in the mediation defend as just and honourable for all the parties.
"It is in this spirit that I urge you to accept these proposals and sign onto the Darfur peace agreement at the earliest time possible.
"Both the AU peace and security council and the UN security council made it clear to us that we have to conclude the talks by the end of this month and it is my earnest belief we can achieve an agreement before this."
'We will decide'
The Sudanese government responded to Salim's call for comments, but the rebel movements - the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) - kept quiet.
Leader of the SLM, Mini Minawi, said: "We dont know the content of the agreement yet so I cannot comment on it now."
Chief negotiator for JEM, Ahmed Tugod, said: "We are going to look carefully this package. We will take into consideration the words said by the speakers today, then we will decide on the fate of this document."
Leader of the Sudanese government delegation, Majzoub Al-Khalifa, said: "We promise to go through the document carefully, with an open mind, so that we can endeavour to reach an agreement as quickly as possible."
Civil war erupted in Darfur three years ago. About 300 000 people, mainly civilians, have been killed.