Darfur peace talks to continue
2005-05-17 09:15
Tripoli - An African mini-summit in Tripoli on peace efforts for Sudan's war-torn Darfur region was due to end Tuesday with an agreement to resume talks between Khartoum and rebels within the next two weeks in Nigeria.
African leaders attending the seven-way summit in Tripoli agreed that "the Abuja negotiations should be resumed by the end of the month", Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir told reporters.
Egyptian presidential spokesperson Suleiman Awad later said official talks would kick off on June 1.
A final date was expected to be announced later on Tuesday when the two-day meeting officially closes.
The summit brought together Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Chad's President Idriss Deby, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Eritrea's Isaias Afeworki, Beshir, as well as Gabon's vice-president.
"All the countries represented at the summit agreed to send delegations to attend the Abuja talks and contribute in narrowing views between the negotiators," Beshir said.
Darfur's two main rebels, the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), did not attend the summit in Tripoli, although their representatives were in town.
But the SLM reiterated its "readiness for serious and responsible negotiations in Abuja under the auspices of the African Union".
It also underscored a "commitment to implement all agreements with Khartoum, including the ceasefire".
African Union-sponsored negotiations in the Nigerian capital have been suspended since December because of repeated violations of the ceasefire signed under the mediation of Chad in April 2004.