Chad and Sudan signed a peace deal aimed at ending their border tensions late Wednesday at the conclusion of a one-day mini summit of African countries in Libya's capital of Tripoli.

Sudanese President Omar Ahmed al-Bashir and his Chadian counterpart Idriss Deby endorsed the peace accord, with leaders from Libya, Congo, Central Africa and Burkina Faso vowing to support the pact.
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The deal calls on Sudan and Chad not to interfere with each other's internal affairs, not to support armed rebels from the other side, and to stop the hostile press campaigns against each other.

Sudanese and Chadian leaders also agreed to solve the dispute by peaceful means, to step up efforts to build mutual trust, and to open consulates in each other's border cities.

Leaders attending the summit agreed to set up a ministerial committee to oversee the implementation of the agreement.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the host of the summit, also urged Sudan and Chad to disarm rebel groups and to temporarily close their borders.

Chad has accused Sudan of sheltering and backing Chadian rebels in its violent Darfur region. Khartoum has repeatedly denied the charge.

(Xinhua News Agency February 9, 2006)