The Sudanese government and rebels in the western Darfur region are expected to resume peace talks in the Nigerian capital Abuja in mid-February, as a UN-appointed independent panel on Monday cleared Khartoum of accusations of genocide.

"The AU leaders reviewed the situation in Darfur, especially the progress of the efforts toward ending the crisis and decided that the talks should resume in Abuja in the middle of February," Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, also chairman of the 53-member African Union (AU), said Monday after a two-day AU summit in Abuja.

Under the auspices of the AU, the Sudanese government and rebels, the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Movement, had held several rounds of peace talks in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa and Abuja without major breakthrough.

Darfur has been embroiled in fighting since February 2003 when the rebels took up arms against Khartoum. The conflict has so far caused thousands of deaths and sent over one million fleeing to neighboring Chad or internally displaced.

The United States wanted the United Nations to call the violence in Darfur "genocide" and impose sanctions on Sudan, but aUN-appointed independent panel concluded on Monday the Sudanese government "has not pursued a policy of genocide" in war-ravaged Darfur.

In a 176-page report released Monday, the panel said the central government of Sudan did not have an intent of carrying outa genocide in Darfur, which is a key factor to establish a case ofgenocide.

"The crucial element of genocidal intent appears to be missing,at least as far as the central government authorities are concerned," the report explained.

"Generally speaking the policy of attacking, killing and forcibly displacing members of some tribes does not evince a specific intent to annihilate, in whole or in part, a group distinguished on racial, ethnic or religious grounds," it added.

"Rather, it would seem that those who planned and organized attacks on villages pursued the intent to drive the victims from their homes, primarily for purposes of counter-insurgency warfare."

While clearing Khartoum of accusations of genocide, the report said the government and the Janjaweed militias "are responsible for serious violations of international human rights law and humanitarian law amounting to crimes under international law."

Earlier this week, monitors from the AU reported that the Sudanese air force bombed the village of Rahad Kabolong, near the town of Shangil Tobaya in North Darfur state, on Wednesday, leaving up to 100 dead. The raid has so far not been confirmed by the Sudanese government.

European Union foreign ministers expressed outrage Monday at the reported air raids on Rahad Kabolong, saying they were "deeplyconcerned" at AU reports about the raids.

The EU ministers said they expected Sudan to fully cooperate with an AU inquiry into the raids" and to make an example of all those responsible for what has happened."

EU foreign affairs chief Javier Solana demanded those responsible be handed over to the International Criminal Court to face war-crimes charges.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he was deeply disturbed by the bombing raid last week.

Meanwhile, he proposed on Monday the establishment of an 11,000-strong UN peacekeeping force to help Sudan's government and its rebels in the south carry out a comprehensive peace deal.

In a report to the Security Council, Annan recommended the deployment of 10,130 troops and 755 civilian police officers in southern Sudan. The military component will consist of 750 observers, 160 staff officers, 5,070 peacekeeping soldiers and a protection force of 4,150.

The Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement signed the comprehensive peace agreement in Kenya on Jan.9, formally ending the 21-year civil war in southern Sudan, the longest-running in Africa. The war has killed at least 2 million people, uprooted 4 million more and sent 600,000 into exile.

Source: Xinhua