Bashir Agrees to Truce for Talks

Sudan is ready to observe a ceasefire when long-awaited peace talks on Darfur open next month, President Omar al-Bashir pledged yesterday - 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 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 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 in 2004 but has often been violated. This week Sudanese forces denied claims that they had attacked Justice and Equality rebels.Tomorrow is the fourth global Day for Darfur.