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| Africa: North |
| Sudan Agrees to Attend Darfur Talks in Nigeria, AP Reports |
| 2004-08-09 |
| If dup please delete Aug. 9 (Bloomberg) -- The Sudanese government will take part in talks to end the violence in Sudan's Darfur region that are set to be held in Nigeria on Aug. 23, the Associated Press reported, citing Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail. Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, the current chairman of the African Union, yesterday offered to host the talks between the Sudanese government and black African rebels, who say they have been discriminated against by Arabs in Darfur. As many as 100,000 people have died and another 1.2 million have been displaced in the past 18 months, AP said. ``We welcome and will participate in the talks that were announced,'' AP cited Ismail as telling reporters in Cairo. ``We open the door wide to reach an agreement on the agenda and issues. We don't have conditions and we won't accept prior conditions.'' Previous talks broke down on July 17 when rebels walked out. Last week, the United Nations called on Sudan to disarm the Arab Janjaweed militia, which is blamed for much of the violence, and give relief agencies unimpeded access to the region. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said last week Sudan must show progress within 30 days or face sanctions. Sudan denies backing the Arab militia. |
| Posted by:2% |
| #1 I imagine these are going to be drawn out just about until Doomsday... |
| Posted by: Fred 2004-08-09 17:51 |