Bashir agrees to truce for talks / Pope, Sudanese president meet, express hope for peace in Darfur
Fourteen stories from over the course of today that update, most recently, yesterday's batch (updated to add the one from the UK's "Independent" and the second from AGI):
From the UK's "Guardian" (newer)...
Sudan is ready to observe a ceasefire when long-awaited peace talks on Darfur open next month, President Omar al-Bashir pledged yesterday [Friday] - apparently meeting a key demand of rebel groups.
It was the first time that Mr Bashir had called for a ceasefire since the announcement of UN-backed negotiations in Libya at the end of October. "We have announced [that] we are willing [to put in place] a ceasefire coinciding with the start of the negotiations to create a positive climate," the president said after talks in Rome with the Italian prime minister, Romano Prodi.
In response to MEPs' concerns that he would welcome a man "primarily responsible for the slaughter in Darfur", Mr Prodi said [that] he underlined the international community's "strong concerns".
Mr Bashir, who also met Pope Benedict, urged Europe to pressure rebel leaders to attend the talks. Most groups have agreed, but Abdel Wahid Elnur, of the Sudanese Liberation Movement, insisted again that he did not trust the central government.
According to the UN, more than 200,000 people have died since ethnic African rebels in Darfur took up arms against the government in 2003. Khartoum is accused of retaliating by unleashing the janjaweed militia. A ceasefire was agreed [to] in 2004, but has often been violated. This week Sudanese forces denied claims that they had attacked Justice and Equality rebels.
Tomorrow [Sunday] is the fourth global Day for Darfur.
Also from the "Guardian" (from earlier)...
The Sudanese government today [Friday] declared its willingness to observe a ceasefire with rebel forces when peace talks start next month on the conflict in Darfur.
The pledge came from the Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir, at a news conference in Rome, after talks with the Italian prime minister, Romano Prodi.
"We have announced [that] we are available (to put in place) a ceasefire with the start of the negotiations to create a positive climate," Mr Bashir said, speaking through a translator. "We hope that the negotiations in Tripoli will be the last ones, and that they will bring a final peace."
After much prodding from the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-Moon, the Sudanese government and rebel leaders have agreed to fresh peace talks starting on October 27 in Libya.
Mr Ban, unlike western leaders, has refrained from denouncing the Bashir government for human-rights abuses, instead showing restraint in an effort to get peace talks going. He has been told by advisers that most of the violence is between rival clans, and not caused by government forces.
A ceasefire agreed in April 2004 has been violated frequently by all sides - government troops, rebels, and the janjaweed militias.
More than 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million have fled their homes since ethnic African rebels in Darfur in western Sudan took up arms against the Arab-dominated Sudanese government in 2003.
While welcoming Mr Bashir's statement as a strong and important signal, Mr Prodi said [that] he had expressed the "serious concerns" of the Italian government and European countries over the Darfur crisis to the Sudanese president, who was also due to meet Pope Benedict on this rare high-profile visit to western Europe.
The peace talks coincide with the deployment of a UN force of 26,000 soldiers and police to protect civilians, as agreed by the UN [Security Council] in July. The "hybrid" African Union/UN force will have tougher powers than the under-resourced African monitors presently in Darfur, but will still consist mainly of Africans, at Sudanese insistence.
Mr Bashir came to power in 1989 in a military coup.
Human-rights groups have urged Mr Prodi and the Pope to call on Sudan to fulfil its legal duty to arrest International Criminal Court suspects.
Mr Haroun, currently the state minister of humanitarian affairs, is wanted by the ICC on 42 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes. Its judges found "reasonable grounds to believe" that Mr Haroun is responsible for attacks and rapes of civilians in four western Darfur villages in 2003 and 2004. Human Rights Watch said: "Evidence indicates that Haroun recruited, paid, and supplied arms to the government-backed janjaweed militias who carried out the attacks."
"Nominating a suspected war criminal to hear human rights complaints from Darfur's victims is outrageous and shows the government's utter disregard for their plight," said Lotte Leicht, EU advocacy director at Human Rights Watch.
"The Italian government cannot stand by silently while President Bashir is in Rome, the birthplace of the International Criminal Court."
A meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir ended with hopes that upcoming peace talks for Darfur would "put an end to the suffering and insecurity" in that region, said the Vatican.
In a statement following the pope's Sept. 14 meeting with al-Bashir, the Vatican said [that] expectations were high that peace talks between the Sudanese government and the Darfur region's rebel leaders in Libya [on] Oct. 27 would guarantee that humanitarian assistance would get to those in need, and would lead to the start of rebuilding and development in the region.
The Vatican said, "The call for new negotiations was commented on very positively" during meetings with Vatican officials.
Before his papal audience, and after meeting with Italian Prime Minster Romano Prodi, al-Bashir told reporters in Rome that "we are prepared for a cease-fire for the start of negotiations in order to create a positive climate conducive to a positive end to the negotiations."
"We hope that the negotiations in Tripoli (Libya) will be the last, and that they will produce a definitive peace," al-Bashir said, adding that he wanted economic sanctions against his government to come to an end, and [wanted] the country's foreign debt erased.
Following his 25-minute private audience with the pope, al-Bashir met separately with Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Vatican's top foreign-affairs official, who served as apostolic nuncio to Sudan, 2002-06.
The Vatican said [that] talks with the pope and Vatican officials centered around "the political and religious situation" in Sudan, especially Darfur, and Sudan's 2005 comprehensive peace agreement, which ended one of Africa's longest and bloodiest civil wars between the mainly Muslim North and the animist and Christian South.
The pope and al-Bashir also talked about "the defense of human life and the family, the respect and promotion of human rights -- with religious freedom being fundamental, the importance of interreligious dialogue, and the collaboration between all religious believers, particularly Christians and Muslims, for the promotion of peace and the common good," the Vatican said.
The Catholic Church can make a positive contribution in Sudan, especially in the field of education, the Vatican added.
A 15-member delegation of high-ranking government ministers and members of parliament accompanied the president during his visit to the pope.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said [that] the delegation of key government leaders showed [that] "there is a great effort on the part of Sudan" to demonstrate its "great regard and respect for the Vatican."
Father Lombardi said [that] at least one member of the Sudanese delegation was a Christian and presented the pope with several small objects of devotion for a papal blessing. The pope blessed the various crosses and rosaries meant for the Christian faithful of Sudan, he said.
Al-Bashir, who met the pope at the papal summer villa outside Rome, gave the pontiff a reproduction of a painting of St. Michael the Archangel that was found by Polish archaeologists in a 10th-century Christian church in Faras, Sudan.
Caritas Internationalis, the Vatican-based confederation of Catholic relief, development, and social-service organizations, said [that] the pope's meeting with al-Bashir was "a golden opportunity" to discuss "one of the world's worst humanitarian crises."
Caritas and its partners working in Darfur have been providing emergency assistance and basic services to more than 300,000 people a year, and each day staffers witness "the appalling suffering of the people" in the region, said Lesley-Anne Knight, Caritas secretary-general, in a Sept. 11 statement.
Pope Benedict has criticized the conflict in Darfur and the catastrophic humanitarian situation unfolding there. In June, he urged Sudan to end its military campaign against Darfur and [to] implement a political solution that respects the country's minorities.
"The force of weapons" could not put an end to "this deadly conflict," he said in a June 1 address to Sudan's new ambassador to the Vatican. He said [that] the only "viable solution" that would bring peace is a political solution based on justice, dialogue, and negotiation.
The conflict in Darfur between Arab herders and African farmers took a tragic turn in 2003, when the government in Khartoum responded to an incipient rebel struggle by arming Arab militias and unleashing them on the African villages.
Many, including the U.S. Congress, have labeled the violence genocide.
Some 4.2 million people have been directly affected by the conflict, according to the United Nations, and continuing violence has prevented aid workers from reaching hundreds of thousands of people in need of assistance.
Sudan's president has said that government forces would observe a ceasefire in the western Darfur province after the start of peace talks next month with rebel groups from the region.
Omar Hassan al-Bashir made the remarks on Friday at the start of a highly criticised three-day visit to Italy.
Bashir said [that] he hoped [that] talks in Libya on October 27 would finally end the four-year conflict in the region.
"We have given our government's willingness for a ceasefire from the start of the peace talks," he said at a news conference with Romano Prodi, the Italian prime minister.
Prodi, who has been criticised by Italian politicians and other European politicians for hosting Bashir, said [that] he had used the meeting to emphasis the international community's "strong concerns" about the situation.
Darfur 'slaughter'
A group of European parliamentarians, led by Britain's Glenys Kinnock, said [that] it was surprised and concerned that Prodi would welcome a man "primarily responsible for the slaughter in Darfur".
Foreign experts estimate that the conflict in Darfur has killed about 200,000 people and [has] forced another 2.5 million from their homes. Khartoum disputes the figures.
Last month in Tanzania, the myriad of Darfur rebel factions agreed [on] a common platform for new talks with the government before Khartoum agreed to attend peace talks in Tripoli.
Bashir said [that] he had asked Prodi to pressure "certain European countries harbouring some of these rebel groups" to persuade them to come to the talks.
The Sudanese leader also said that he wanted an end to economic sanctions against his government and the cancellation of its foreign debt.
Prodi called on Bashir's government to make "realistic contributions" to the negotiations, and pledged financial help, transport and logistical assistance, as well as training for the UN peacekeeping force to be deployed in Darfur.
Papal visit
After talks with Prodi, Bashir went to the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo, near Rome, to meet Benedict XVI.
"Very positive views were expressed concerning fresh peace negotiations for Darfur," the Vatican said.
"It is the Holy See's heartfelt hope that these negotiations prove successful, in order to put an end to the suffering and insecurity of those peoples."
However, the talks could be hampered by the refusal of Abdulwahid Elnur, leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement, to hold negotiations before a ceasefire is in place and the arrival of a UN-African Union peacekeeping force.
On Friday, he rejected the Libya meeting and expressed scepticism about Bashir's offer of a truce.
"How many ceasefires is al-Bashir going to offer?" Elnur said to the Associated Press news agency, listing nearly a dozen [that] he claims Khartoum has violated.
Khalil Ibrahim, leader of the northern Darfur Justice and Equality Movement, has also said [that] he might not travel to Libya after government forces launched a major attack on his fighters earlier this week.
Abdullahi Eltom, JEM's chief political negotiator, dismissed the ceasefire, saying [that] the president's "word is worth nothing".
By VOA's Sabina Castelfranco...
Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir said [on] Friday [that] his government is ready to announce a cease-fire with rebel forces. During a visit to Rome, al-Bashir said [that] the truce will coincide with the start of peace talks over the conflict in Darfur. Sabina Castelfranco reports from Rome.
The President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, is on a three-day visit to Italy with a large delegation, holding meetings with top Italian leaders and Pope Benedict XVI. He arrived [on] Thursday afternoon, and his first official meeting was with the Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi.
Following early-morning talks [on] Friday with Mr. Prodi, the two leaders held a joint press conference. Mr. al-Bashir announced [that] his government is ready for a truce with Darfur rebels to coincide with the start of peace talks over the conflict. Talks are scheduled to begin [on] October 27 in Libya.
The Sudanese president also said that he asked Mr. Prodi to push European countries to pressure rebel leaders to take part in the Libyan talks. He also said that he hopes [that] the negotiations in Tripoli will bring peace.
The Italian prime minister praised Mr. Bashir's offer of a cease-fire, saying [that] it is a strong signal.
Following his talks with Mr. Prodi, the Sudanese president traveled to the Pope's summer residence in Castelgandolfo, south of Rome, where he held 25 minutes of talks with Pope Benedict.
A statement by the Vatican said [that] the pope and Mr. Bashir discussed the political and religious situation in Darfur, and the possibility of a peace agreement.
The statement added that the Vatican expressed the hope that the peace talks in Libya will help put an end to the suffering of the people of Darfur, and that development projects in the country will be launched.
Pope Benedict XVI [...] met on September 14 with Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, for a discussion of religious freedom in that country and of the humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur.
Bashir was making his first visit to the Holy See. His Islamic government had engaged in a long and bloody civil war with rebels from the predominantly Christian south of Sudan, until a peace treaty ended that conflict in 2005.
Commenting to reporters after the meeting, the director of the Vatican press office, Father Federico Lombardi, remarked that the Sudanese government had been "very committed to this meeting." He added: "It was a high-level delegation that demonstrated attention and respect for the Vatican.”
In his talks with Bashir, Pope Benedict [voiced] his hopes for the success of peace talks on the Darfur conflict, which are scheduled to take place in October in Libya. A statement released by the Vatican after the meeting indicated the Pope's desire "that these negotiations prove successful, in order to put an end to the suffering and insecurity of those peoples, ensuring them the humanitarian assistance to which they have the right, and initiating development projects."
The Pope also spoke with his visitor about "the fundamental right of religious freedom" and the importance of maintaining friendly dialogue between religious groups--particularly Christians and Muslims. The Holy Father reminded Bashir of the contributions that the Church has made to the welfare of Sudan's society, "especially in the field of education."
After meeting with the Pope, at the apostolic palace in Castel Gandolfo, the Sudanese leader met separately with Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States. Before taking his post at the Vatican last year, Archbishop Mamberti had been stationed in Khartoum as the papal nuncio to Sudan.
From AGI...
In Darfur, it is necessary to "put an end to the suffering and insecurity of these populations, guaranteeing them the humanitarian assistance they are in need of, and to set up development projects." This was asked by Benedict XVI, who this morning [Friday] at Castelgandolfo received Omar Hassan Ahmed Al-Bashir, president of the Republic of Sudan. In the summer residence of the Pope, the Head of State then met with Monsignor Dominique Mamberti, secretary for state relations and until [recently] Apostolic Nuncio in Khartoum. "At the centre of the talks," said a statement by the Press Office of the Holy See, "was the political and religious situation of the country, with particular focus on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the situation in Darfur. In this respect, many positive comments have been received on the convocation of the new peace talks for Darfur on 27 October in Libya, the success of which is much hoped for by the Holy See." On this subject, the Vatican note underscored the need to take into account "the regional aspect of the crisis." "In a very respectful climate," as stressed in a briefing by Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi, dealt with were also "other issues of common interest, such as the defence of life and the family, the respect and promotion of human rights, such as religious freedom, and the importance of inter-religious dialogue and collaboration between believers of all religions, especially Christians and Muslims, for the promotion of peace and the common good. In this context, reiterated were the role and the positive contribution of the Catholic Church and its institutions in the life of Sudanese society, especially in the field of education."
"We have talked about Sudan's commitment to a unilateral cease-fire in Darfur during peace negotiations. It is an important signal, and I welcomed it. Italy will try to convince all parties to start negotiating with an open mind, and a sincere commitment." Italian PM Romano Prodi said this during his joint press conference with the president of Sudan in the Prime Minister's office.
From the BBC...
Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has said [that] he is ready to call a ceasefire with rebel groups ahead of peace talks next month over the Darfur region.
He was speaking in Rome, where he met the Pope, who voiced his "heart-felt hope" for the success of the talks.
Several ceasefires have previously been agreed [to], but none has ended the violence, in which some 200,000 have died.
Meanwhile, Darfur rebel leader Suleiman Jamous has left Sudan to seek medical treatment in Kenya.
He had been in a UN compound for more than 13 months, with the Sudanese authorities threatening to arrest him as soon as he left the protection of the UN.
During talks with UN chief Ban Ki-moon last month, President Bashir promised to let him travel to Kenya for a stomach biopsy.
Actress Mia Farrow had offered to swap places with Mr Jamous, seen as a key figure in unifying Darfur's numerous different rebel groups.
'Horror'
Speaking after meeting Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, Mr Bashir said [that] he hoped [that] the Libya talks would bring "a final peace".
"We stated that we are prepared for a ceasefire for the start of negotiations, in order to create a positive climate conducive to a positive end to the negotiations."
Mr Bashir also said [that] he had asked Mr Prodi to urge European countries to put pressure on all of Darfur's rebel leaders to attend the talks, due to start in Tripoli on 27 October.
One of the most-influential Darfur leaders, Abdel Wahed Mohamed el-Nur, is in Paris, and says [that] he will not attend talks until the fighting stops.
The BBC's Amber Henshaw in Khartoum says [that] Mr Bashir's words are encouraging, but [that] similar promises have been made before.
She points out that Sudan's military used planes to bomb a rebel-controlled town recently, although Sudan says [that] it was provoked by rebel attacks.
The African Union peacekeeping mission in Sudan said [that] the reports of attacks were "astonishing", given the importance attached to the talks in Libya.
Our correspondent says that there is often an increase in violence ahead of peace talks.
This is the first time that a leader of Sudan, an Islamic republic, has met the Pope.
Pope Benedict XVI has said [that] he will do whatever is possible to end what has called the "horror" of Darfur.
"Very positive views were expressed concerning fresh peace negotiations for Darfur," the Vatican said following the 25-minute meeting.
"It is the Holy See's heartfelt hope that these negotiations prove successful, in order to put an end to the suffering and insecurity of those peoples."
Italy has been asked to take part in the strengthened UN peacekeeping force to be set up to police Darfur shortly.
Darfur has been wracked by conflict for more than four years.
Sudan's government denies charges [that] it backs Arab militias accused of atrocities against the region's black African population.
By Guy Dinmore of the "Financial Times"...
Sudan’s president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, whose regime has been sanctioned and largely isolated by western governments for atrocities committed in Darfur, on Friday met Pope Benedict XVI and Italy’s prime minister, Romano Prodi, during a rare visit to Europe.
Both the Vatican and the Italian government sought to fend off criticism for welcoming Mr Bashir - one of whose ministers is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes - by using the opportunity to press him to reach a peace agreement with Darfur’s disparate rebel groups at talks scheduled to be held in Libya next month.
Mr Bashir gave his hosts at least something [that] they could show for their efforts, by saying [that] his government was willing to observe a ceasefire for the talks due to start on October 27. He also used a press conference after meeting Mr Prodi to urge Europe to ease sanctions against Khartoum and put [to] pressure on rebel leaders – some of whom are based in Europe – to attend the talks.
Italy announced on Friday [that] it would provide aircraft and training teams to help a 26,000-strong ”hybrid” UN-African Union peacekeeping force that is scheduled to start deploying in Darfur before the end of the year.
The Vatican said [that] the pope, who met the Sudanese president at his summer residence of Castel Gandolfo, near Rome, expressed his “heartfelt hope” that the negotiations would succeed. The Vatican said [that] “very positive views were expressed”, but gave no details.
Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, described the atmosphere as ”very respectful” and said [that] the Sudanese delegation showed “great commitment” to the meeting with the pope.
They also discussed the peace agreement that ended decades of civil war between Sudan’s mainly Islamic north and its animist and Christian south. That conflict severely strained ties with the Vatican, and led Pope John Paul II to visit Khartoum briefly in 1993, when he met Mr Bashir.
Mr Bashir’s large delegation included Sudanese officials representing the south - largely excluded from western sanctions - who were expected to discuss economic development with Italian ministers.
Sudanese forces were reported to have launched an attack against the Justice and Equality rebel group in Darfur this week, using helicopters and aircraft, in violation of a UN embargo.
The special US envoy for Sudan, Andrew Natsios, has called for a new oversight commission to enforce a ceasefire agreed in 2004, but repeatedly broken by both sides.
From AFP...
Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir said [on] Friday [that] he was ready to call a ceasefire in the war-torn province of Darfur ahead of October peace talks, while accusing rebels of prolonging the conflict.
"We think [that] a number of factions are not ready for peace. They are enjoying their stay in luxurious hotels in Europe," Beshir told an evening news conference in Rome. "We can say [that] they are marketing the suffering of their people in Darfur."
Beshir made the ceasefire offer ahead of his first meeting with Pope Benedict XVI, who voiced his "heartfelt hope" for the success of the peace talks, the Vatican said.
"We stated that we are prepared for a ceasefire for the start of negotiations, in order to create a positive climate conducive to a positive end to the negotiations," Beshir said, after talks with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi.
The Sudanese government and Darfur rebels who refused to sign a peace agreement are to hold talks in Tripoli from October 27.
Several ceasefires have already broken down. But last month, UN and African Union mediators brokered talks in Tanzania between the myriad rebel factions [in order] to thrash out a common platform for new talks with the government.
The African Union mission in Sudan said only on Tuesday, however, that it was deeply concerned about renewed fighting.
Beshir faces mounting international pressure over the Darfur conflict, which has killed at least 200,000 people and displaced two million since 2003, according to UN figures.
The Sudanese leader stated [on] Friday that 350,000 internally displaced people "have returned voluntarily to their homes and villages."
The conflict, which the United States has called "genocide", started after Beshir's government enlisted Janjaweed Arab militia allies to help put down an ethnic-minority rebellion.
The Sudanese president said [that] he asked Prodi to pressure "certain European countries harbouring some of these rebel groups" to persuade them to come to the negotiating table.
"Every day we see a new faction, more splintering, even a group riding only three cars," Beshir said, adding: "I would like to declare [that] the coming negotiations will be final ... Any party (not honouring it) should be subject to punishment."
During Beshir's audience with Benedict at the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo near Rome late [on] Friday morning, the Vatican said [that] "very positive views were expressed concerning fresh peace negotiations for Darfur."
A Vatican communique said: "It is the Holy See's heartfelt hope that these negotiations prove successful, in order to put an end to the suffering and insecurity of those peoples."
For his part, Prodi called on Beshir's government to make "realistic contributions" to the October negotiations. He pledged financial help, transport and logistical assistance, as well as training for a UN peacekeeping force to be deployed in Darfur.
Also Friday, the US group Human Rights Watch urged both Prodi and the pope to call for the arrest of International Criminal Court (ICC) suspects, including Sudan's State Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Ahmed Haroun.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Haroun in April, citing 42 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes. The court highlighted evidence that Haroun recruited, paid, and armed Janjaweed accused of raping and killing civilians in Darfur in 2003 and 2004.
Haroun is now in charge of hearing human-rights complaints from Darfur abuse victims.
"Nominating a suspected war criminal to hear human-rights complaints from Darfur's victims is outrageous, and shows the government's utter disregard for their plight," said Lotte Leicht, EU advocacy director at Human Rights Watch.
But Beshir told the evening news conference: "This issue is not our business. We don't have anything to do with this court, so we're not going to waste our time answering questions about it. We are not part of the Rome protocol."
Beshir, who came to power in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989, was also set to meet his Italian counterpart, Giorgio Napolitano, and the ministers of economic development and transport, Luigi Bersani and Alessandro Bianchi, during a three-day visit.
From the AP...
In a rare, high-profile visit to the West, Sudan's president on Friday met with the pope and Italy's premier, and offered to declare a cease-fire with Darfur rebels to coincide with the start of U.N.-backed peace talks next month.
Past truces have been regularly violated.
Still, after a meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and President Omar al-Bashir, the Vatican expressed hope that the talks in Libya would succeed and put an end to the suffering in Darfur. More than 200,000 people have died there, and 2.5 million have been uprooted in the four years since ethnic African rebels [...] took up arms against the Arab-dominated Sudanese government.
Sudan's government is accused of having retaliated by unleashing a militia of Arab nomads known as the janjaweed, a charge [that] it denies.
Al-Bashir told reporters after his meeting with Italian Premier Romano Prodi that he was offering a cease-fire linked to the start of negotiations on Oct. 27, in Tripoli, Libya, [in order] to "create a positive climate."
"We hope that the negotiations in Tripoli will be the last ones, and that they will bring definitive peace," al-Bashir said.
A top rebel leader, Abdulwahid Elnur, of the Sudan Liberation Movement, has said [that] negotiations should not start before a cease-fire and before the arrival of a U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force. U.N. officials have said [that] troops could start deploying in October.
In a telephone call from Paris [on] Friday, Elnur again rejected the Libya talks, expressing skepticism about al-Bashir's truce offer.
"How many cease-fires is al-Bashir going to offer?" Elnur said, listing nearly a dozen [that], he said, Sudan's forces violated. However, observers say [that] some were also breached by Darfur rebels.
"No one on earth will make me go" to Libya, Elnur said, saying [that] his movement wanted to see the U.N. deployed in Darfur and the janjaweed disarmed before agreeing to negotiations.
Asked at a late-night news conference about the rebels' refusal to participate in the peace talks, al-Bashir replied, "We think [that] there are a number of factions not ready to obtain peace."
"They are enjoying their stay in these luxurious hotels," in Europe, the president said, adding that he had asked both the pope and Prodi to put pressure on France to make [that] the rebel leaders join in the peace process.
Al-Bashir's announcement came after his forces launched a major attack earlier this week against another rebel faction, the Justice and Equality Movement, in northern Darfur. JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim, who had earlier said [that] he would go to Libya, now says [that] he might not, if government attacks continued.
JEM's chief political negotiator, Abdullahi Eltom, dismissed al-Bashir's cease-fire offer [on] Friday, saying [that] the president's word "is worth nothing."
However, Eltom said in a telephone interview that his movement was willing to abide by a general cease-fire ahead of the Libya talks, if a framework agreement is first agreed upon. Diplomats say [that] a framework will be discussed at a meeting of rebel groups expected to precede the Libya talks.
In Italy, al-Bashir said [that] he had asked Prodi to encourage European countries hosting rebel leaders to pressure them to take part in the talks, citing the Paris-based Elnur.
Prodi welcomed al-Bashir's offer of a cease-fire as an "important signal." Prodi briefed the U.N. secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, on his talks with al-Bashir, as well as the financial and logistical support [that] Italy was pledging for Darfur peace efforts and humanitarian aid, a Prodi statement said. No details were provided.
While the pope in the past has denounced the humanitarian disaster in Darfur as "horror," the Vatican chose an upbeat tone to describe Benedict's 25-minute talks with the Sudanese president in the papal summer palace in Castel Gandolfo, outside Rome.
Discussions were focused on Darfur, the Vatican said. "Very positive views were expressed concerning fresh peace negotiations," it said.
"It is the Holy See's heartfelt hope that these negotiations prove successful, in order to put an end to the suffering and insecurity of these peoples, ensuring them the humanitarian assistance to which they have the right, and initiating development projects," the Vatican statement said.
When Benedict met Muslim diplomats a year ago, in an effort to defuse anger over his remarks about Islam and violence, Sudan was the only predominantly Muslim nation with diplomatic relations with the Holy See that did not attend.
The importance of dialogue and collaboration between believers, particularly Christians and Muslims, was discussed, the Vatican said, offering no particulars.
The human rights group Amnesty International had expressed concern about what the visit by al-Bashir, who came to power in 1989 in a military and Islamic coup, would achieve, and why Italy would agreed to welcome him.
Last month, a U.N. report accused the Sudanese government of failing to investigate rapes allegedly carried out by Sudanese forces and militiamen, an accusation [that] Sudan's justice minister has called untrue.
On Thursday, a separate U.N. report said [that] children in Sudan are still being recruited to fight and [still] suffer abuses, including rape and abduction.
Prodi called al-Bashir's visit a "useful" way to press Sudan to make good on its pledges about Darfur.
The International Criminal Court at The Hague has accused Khartoum of having masterminded most of violence against civilians.
Al-Bashir dismissed any idea that his country would submit to the court's jurisdiction.
"We don't have anything to do with this court," the president told the news conference. "We are not going to waste our time" on the issue.
From Reuters (also here)...
(Earlier versions are also still available on both AlertNet and Reuters Africa.)
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir said on Friday [that] his government was willing to observe a ceasefire in Darfur from the start of peace talks with the rebels next month.
Bashir was speaking on a visit to Rome that has drawn criticism in Italy and abroad. The Sudanese leader also met Pope Benedict, who stressed respect for human rights and religious freedom in the vast African country.
Bashir said [that] he hoped [that] the Oct. 27 peace talks in Libya would be the last of their kind and finally end a four-year conflict in the western Sudan region, which foreign experts estimate has killed 200,000 people and driven another 2.5 million from their homes. Khartoum disputes the figures.
"We have given our government's willingness for a ceasefire from the start of the peace talks," he said through a translator at a news conference with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, who called it a strong and important signal for peace.
Prodi, who has been criticised by European parliamentarians and Italian politicians for hosting Bashir during his rare trip to Europe, said [that] he used the meeting to underline the "strong concerns" of the international community over the crisis.
The Sudanese president in turn urged Europe to pressure rebel leaders to attend the peace talks in Libya. He also maintained [that] the situation in Darfur had improved, and called for an easing of sanctions.
A ceasefire was agreed [on] in April 2004, but has been violated frequently, with fighting blamed on government troops, rebels, and Janjaweed militias.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged all parties to end the violence immediately and prepare for the deployment of 26,000 U.N.-African Union peacekeepers.
A potential obstacle to the Libya talks is Paris-based rebel leader Abdel Wahid Mohamed el-Nur, founder of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, who has set conditions for taking part. Rebel commanders urged him on Friday to attend.
Amid reports that Nur had dismissed Bashir's ceasefire offer, the Sudanese president told another news conference late on Friday some rebel factions were "not ready to obtain peace". The rebels were increasingly fragmented, he added.
One Darfur rebel leader, Suleiman Jamous, was flown out of Sudan on Friday for medical treatment in Kenya, after having been under effective house arrest at a U.N. hospital for 15 months.
Jamous, the humanitarian coordinator of the Sudan Liberation Movement, is respected in Darfur and [is] considered a consensus builder who could help peace efforts and unify rebel groups.
"NO RED CARPET"
Sudan's predominantly Arab and Muslim government also signed a peace deal with the mainly Christian and animist south in 2005, ending more than two decades of conflict between the country's northern and southern regions.
The southern region has resisted attempts by the north to impose Islamic law on non-Muslims, and the Vatican has formally protested at the treatment of Christians in Sudan. Khartoum denies repression of the mainly Catholic Christian population.
The visit on Friday was Bashir's first to the Vatican, but not his first meeting with a pontiff. Pope Benedict's predecessor John Paul II in 1993 used unusually direct language on human rights to the Sudanese leader, who came to power in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989.
Bashir's visit has also stirred opposition within Italy from local human-rights groups and some politicians.
A group of European parliamentarians led by Britain's Glenys Kinnock said [that] it was surprised and concerned that Prodi would welcome a man "primarily responsible for the slaughter in Darfur".
Prodi's government -- which has agreed to send aid and helicopters, train troops, and give financial support to peacekeeping operations in the region -- said [that] the visit was useful in underlining the world's concerns on Darfur.
Bashir was asked why his government was not disarming the Janjaweed militias. Khartoum maintains [that] they are outlaws and denies supporting them.
"One should ask who started military operations. We say [that] rebels clearly started military operations," he said. "They forced the government to retaliate to defend itself."
By Anne Penketh of the UK's "Independent"...
The Sudanese president has announced a truce ahead of planned peace talks with Darfur rebels next month, as the Pope received the Islamist leader during a visit to Italy.
The announcement came ahead of a global "Day for Darfur" tomorrow [Sunday] aimed at keeping up international pressure for a ceasefire and to speed up deployment of a UN force. Anita Roddick, who died last Monday, was among signatories of an open letter calling for an immediate ceasefire in the western Sudanese province where an estimated 200,000 people have been killed since 2003.
The letter, which said [that] the UN decision to send in 26,000 peacekeepers had "changed nothing" on the ground, where "murder, rape, and devastation" [were] continuing, was signed by 26 women, including the actresses Cate Blanchett and Mia Farrow, the supermodel Elle MacPherson, and the writer Germaine Greer.
The Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir, sought to portray himself yesterday [Friday] as a peacemaker, after holding talks in Rome with the Italian Prime Minister, Romano Prodi. "We have announced [that] we are willing [to put in place] a ceasefire with the start of the negotiations [in order] to create a positive climate," he said at a news conference, referring to the negotiations with rebel groups scheduled for 27 October in Libya.
"We hope that the negotiations in Tripoli will be the last ones, and that they will bring a final peace," President al-Bashir added. Mr Prodi said [that] the truce offer was "an important signal, a strong signal that I welcomed".
Earlier ceasefires have not held in the province, where government forces and Arab militias have forced more than 2 million people to flee from their homes. Fighting has flared anew after the UN Security Council vote in July on the peacekeeping force.
Prospects for the peace talks are similarly gloomy, as the most-influential leader, Abdel Wahid al-Nur, has let it be known that he will continue to boycott negotiations, until there is a truce and the UN peacekeepers are on the ground. Negotiations are continuing on the make-up of the force, which is not expected to be deployed until next year.
The Pope, who has expressed concern about Darfur, met the Sudanese leader at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo. A spokesman said [that] the meeting focused on "the promotion of peace and the common good".
However, human-rights organisations expressed concern about President al-Bashir's visit. Human Rights Watch said [that] Italy should press him to arrest leaders wanted by the International Criminal Court for their role in the Darfur massacres. One suspect, Ahmed Haroun, a former junior interior minister who is wanted on 42 counts of crimes against humanity, was recently named state minister of humanitarian affairs. The appointment was described as "outrageous, and shows the government's utter disregard for the plight of the Darfur displaced" by Lotte Leicht, Human Rights Watch's EU advocacy director.
Amnesty International said [that] it was "remarkable" that the Italian government had decided to receive the Sudanese leader.
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