Gaddafi to host Darfur peace talks

Updated 11.50 Tue Feb 20 2007

Keywords: Muammar Gaddafi, Libya, Darfur, Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir is to hold peace talks with Darfur rebels in Libya, an official in the country said.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi will attend the talks with Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki and UN and African Union envoys, the official said.

Tens of thousands have been killed and more than two million driven from their homes in a spiral of violence

A Libyan official said he expected Colonel Gaddafi to try to persuade the National Redemption Front Darfur rebel group to join a peace deal reached between one rebel faction and Mr Bashir's government in May 2005.

Violence in Darfur has caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and prompted Khartoum's government to be accused of genocide. Sudan denies the accusation.

Tens of thousands have been killed and more than two million driven from their homes in a spiral of violence slowed only by one of the world's largest humanitarian operations.

Violence in Darfur has spilled over to Chad and Central African Republic.

Colonel Gaddafi, who advocates African solutions in resolving African conflicts and avoiding reliance on Western diplomacy, sees neighbouring Sudan and Chad as his diplomatic backyard.

He has hosted a string of mini-summits and other gatherings on the Darfur conflict in the past two years.

UN envoy for Darfur Jan Eliasson and his AU counterpart Salim Ahmed Salim will attend Tuesday's gathering.