The Sudanese government has agreed to a ceasefire in principle
as well as to a new round of peace talks with rebel factions
fighting in Sudan's troubled Darfur region, the country's Foreign
Ministry said on Thursday.
In a statement issued following a meeting between Sudanese
President Omar al-Bashir and new UN special envoy Jan Eliasson, the
ministry added that Khartoum would conduct a new round of peace
talks "in any place and at any time."
However, no set date was given and no comment from the rebels
was forthcoming.
New UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday that
Eliasson had reported to him his assurance of "very strong
cooperation" in his talks with Beshir and other Sudanese
leaders.
Eliasson "is encouraged by his meetings with President Beshir
and other Sudanese leaders. He will continue his consultations and
join me at the Addis-Ababa summit," he said.
Ban, who is making bringing about peace in Sudan's Darfur,
Somalia and the Middle-East the top priorities during his first
official trip abroad late this month, stressed the importance for
the UN to put a strong force in Darfur.
The UN Security Council last July urged the Sudanese government
to accept a deployment of 20,000 UN peacekeepers in Darfur. Beshir
originally rejected deployment of any large-scale UN troops, but
later agreed to a three-phase plan for the deployment of a "hybrid"
AU-UN peacekeeping force.
(Xinhua News Agency January 12, 2007)
