The Sudanese government and the key rebel group in Sudan's Darfur the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) on Tuesday signed a framework agreement in which both sides are committed to working towards ending the conflicts in Darfur, local reports said.

Negotiators of the Sudanese government and the JEM, the most active rebel group in the troubled Sudan's Darfur region, have signed a joint declaration of good intentions for a ceasefire in Doha, host of a Darfur peace talks that has lasted for eight days, the Doha-based al-Jazeera website reported.

The agreement included measures to aid and protect refugees in Darfur and a commitment by the two sides to continue negotiations in Doha, according to the report.

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jasim bin Jabir al-Thani told al-Jazeera that the two sides will hopefully start further talks "in about two weeks about a ceasefire and details of the issue of prisoners."

The prisoners issue had been a sticking point blocking the eight days of Doha talks as the JEM insisted on having all prisoners released as a goodwill gesture, while Sudanese government representatives preferred to resolve the issue as part of a framework peace agreement.

Tuesday's agreement says the two sides will work towards a prisoners swap with the help of Qatar, the United Nations and the African Union for a timetable, other reports from Doha said.

According to Qatar's official news agency QNA, a JEM delegation member to the Doha talks said the two sides have agreed in principle on an exchange of prisoners, "to be freed in successive groups between now and the launch of talks on a framework agreement on peace in Darfur."

The peace framework was "an important turning point in the Darfur conflict," the Qatari Prime Minister said at a press conference.

Last Tuesday, the Sudanese government and JEM delegations started their meeting in the Qatari capital with a view to paving the way for substantive peace negotiations between the government and the rebel group.

The JEM launched a rebellion in Darfur nearly six years ago and was involved in a recent upsurge of fighting.

Other influential rebel factions refused to talk to Khartoum, saying the peace drive would fail because they are not all included.

(Xinhua News Agency February 18, 2009)