The crisis in Sudan's west Darfur region should be resolved peacefully through dialogue rather than foreign intervention and sanctions, the leading Chinese newspaper People's Daily said in an article on Wednesday.

Amid growing concern around the world over the Darfur issue, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan flew to the region earlier this month, urging the Sudanese government to contain the local turmoil, guarantee humanitarian rescue work and disband Arab militias accused of ethnic cleansing against black Africans.

Last Thursday, US Secretary of State Colin Powell presented a revised draft resolution to the UN Security Council, threatening sanctions on the Sudanese government if it fails to arrest leaders of Arab militias.

Sudan, in response, said that it was unfair to mount pressure on the country. The Sudanese government is capable of resolving the conflict, but needs time for dialogues with the opposition, the article noted.

"Washington is again brandishing the stick of sanctions amid the humanitarian disaster in Darfur, Sudan," the article said. "But facts have shown that outside intervention and abuse of sanctions would only make problems even more complex."

"A country's internal conflicts and disputes must be solved peacefully through political dialogue among the sides concerned," the article said.

Like many developing countries in Africa, Sudan has been ravaged by poverty, internal strife, and refugee problems. It is in urgent need of political coordination and economic assistance from the international community on its way to national reconciliation and peaceful development, the article said.

As the humanitarian crisis spirals in Darfur, the wise choice is to facilitate dialogues and encourage consultations among the various sides, the article said, echoing the Chinese government's position on the issue.

In a recent telephone conversation with Powell, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said China is very concerned with the Darfur conflict and hopes that the UN Security Council will listen more to the voices of Sudanese people, the African Union and the League of Arab States so as to take measures that are helpful for an appropriate solution.

The region of Darfur plunged into conflict in February 2003, when two rebel forces took up arms against the Sudanese government, accusing the authorities of not protecting them from the attacks of Arab militias and demanding autonomy.

Under intensive international mediation efforts, the government reached a ceasefire agreement with the armed opposition in April, but the accord has not been implemented in earnest, with more civilians being killed.

The United Nations has declared the situation in Darfur the world's "worst humanitarian crisis". Preliminary estimates put the death toll in the conflict at some 30,000. More than a million people have fled their homes in the turmoil.