UN not asked to broker deal
2006-06-04 19:11
Khartoum - The African Union has rejected calls for negotiations on reaching peace in Sudan's Darfur region to be handed over to the United Nations, saying the deal will not be held hostage by recalcitrant factions.
The AU spokesperson in Khartoum, Noureddine Mezni, said: "We can't hold the Darfur peace agreement hostage to those who did not sign; we have to go ahead and start implementation because the situation in Darfur can't wait."
Rebels had until May 31 to agree to the peace deal, drawn up in Abuja on May 5, or face UN sanctions. Only one faction of the main Sudan Liberation Movement signed ahead of the deadline.
The AU declaration came after the dissident SLM faction said the bloc had failed in its efforts to broker an end to the three-year conflict in western Sudan and called on the UN to take over.