The Sudanese government will continue the African Union-brokered talks with the rebel groups, in disregard of the looming UN Security Council Aug. 30 deadline to end fighting in its western Darfur region, Sudanese Agriculture Minister Majzoub al-Khalifa said in Abuja Thursday. 

"It (UN deadline) never crossed our mind," said Khalifa, head of the Sudanese government delegation at the peace talks, which saw a sign of progress Wednesday as the African nation accepted the deployment of more AU troops, but only to help cantonment of the rebels in Darfur besides protection of ceasefire monitors.

"It's not our aim to set dates. What is going to happen is that the deadline will pass and we are going to continue negotiations," he told reporters, adding that the ongoing meeting in Nigeria's capital Abuja may continue till the end of this month.

The UN one-month deadline, worked out on July 30, was given to the Sudanese government to achieve tangible progress on solving Darfur crisis, Jan Pronk, a UN envoy to Sudan, has said earlier this month. If failed, the northern African country may face international sanctions.

As the Abuja talks entered the fourth day, government delegates and Darfur rebels focused on the issue of humanitarian aid, including ways to implement a humanitarian agreement reached between the government and the United Nations in early July, and a Sudan-UN action plan signed early August to create a safe haven for Darfur civilians.

If agreement can been reached, they will move on the issues of security, and political, economic and social arrangements in Darfur.

Meanwhile, A first 150-strong Nigerian troops are reportedly within two days to join almost the same number of Rwandan troops already on ground in Darfur since Aug. 14, and carry out their mission of protecting the African Union military observers in Darfur.

The African Union (AU) has been considering raising its 300-strong contingent protecting ceasefire monitors to a full 2,000 strong peace mission. The demand was rejected by Khartoum, saying Sudan did not need AU peacekeepers to protect its civilians.

Darfur has been beset by an 18-month conflict between rebel forces of local black tribes, the government and the Arab militia Janjaweed since February 2003.

According to UN figures, the conflict has caused up to 50,000 deaths and nearly 1.5 million people displaced, triggering one of the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

(Xinhua News Agency August 27, 2004)