Chinese envoy stresses need to pressure Darfur rebel groups to restart talks

KHARTOUM, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's envoy for the Darfur issue on Sunday urged nations with influence on rebel groups in the Darfur region to pressure them to return to negotiations with the Sudanese government.

"The reluctance of Darfur's main rebel groups to return to the negotiating table has resulted in the disappointing tardiness of the political process in Darfur during the past few months," Liu Guijin, who arrived in Khartoum on Sunday, told Xinhua at the airport.

"Only if those main rebel groups return to the negotiating table, could Darfur achieve a certain extent of stability and the peacekeeping mission be carried out smoothly," Liu said.

The Darfur peace talks, deadlocked since a peace deal was signed between the Sudanese government and a main anti-government group in May 2006, was resumed in Libya last October under the auspices of the United Nations and the African Union.

However, six rebel factions from war-torn Darfur refused to attend the talks, claiming the Sudanese government "does not have the necessary legitimacy to negotiate."

Liu said solving the Darfur issue called for the implementation of the dual-track strategy, which was designed to push forward political negotiation and peacekeeping mission in a balanced manner.

"Various international parties should give equal attention to the political process rather than focus on the peacekeeping mission," Liu said.