The U.N. chief and the Sudanese president announced plans Thursday for a conference next month on ending the conflict in Darfur, but the main rebel factions split over taking part in the peace effort spearheaded by the U.N. and the African Union.A joint communique after the leaders' meeting said the United Nations and the African Union, which have led efforts to get the splintered rebel movements into peace talks with Sudan's government, would issue the invitations to talks set to begin Oct. 27 in Libya. One rebel faction already responded positively to news of the peace conference, but the leader of the largest movement rejected the proposal.
Before that development, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon emerged from his meeting with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir with an upbeat tone. "We have taken a big step toward our shared goal of bringing peace to Darfur and looking forward to the long-term development of Sudan," Ban said at a news conference. "We are at a new beginning. Let us seize this moment together."