Liu Guijin, special representative of the Chinese government on the Darfur issue, arrived here early Sunday for his fourth visit to Sudan since he was appointed to the post last May.
In a speech at the airport, Liu urged nations that have influence over rebel groups to pressure them to return to the negotiating table.
The Darfur peace negotiations, which have been deadlocked since a peace agreement was signed between the Sudanese government and a main anti-government group in May 2006, were resumed in Libya last October at a conference under the co-sponsorship of the United Nations and the African Union.
However, six rebel factions from the war-torn Darfur refused to attend the meeting, claiming "the Khartoum government does not have the necessary legitimacy to negotiate."
"Only if those main rebel groups return to the negotiating table (to talk to the Sudanese government), could Darfur achieve a certain extent of stability and the peacekeeping mission be carried out smoothly," the Chinese envoy said.
While some progress has already been made in the peacekeeping mission in Darfur, some non-governmental organizations and media have nevertheless still failed to pay adequate attention to these positive developments, Liu noted, adding that they seemed to be always obsessed with some negative aspects.
"I am hoping to use my visits to Britain and Sudan to give the international community an opportunity to gain an understanding of the situation in Darfur more actually and concretely," said the envoy, who just wrapped up a visit to Britain before heading to Sudan.
The Sudanese army announced last Tuesday that it had taken control of the Jabel Moun area in Darfur following fighting with militants of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement.
Since the beginning of this month, the Sudanese army has carried out a large-scale military campaign in border areas in western Sudan, forcing a large number of rebels to flee.
Violence flared up in February 2003 in the barren area of Darfur in western Sudan, pitting rebels against government forces in the north. The rebels have accused Khartoum of neglecting the arid region and arming forces to fight the locals.
Thousands of people have died and more have been displaced in what the U.N. describes as a humanitarian disaster in the region.
Source: Xinhua
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