KHARTOUM, Sudan, March 7 (UPI) -- U.S. special envoy to Sudan Andrew Natsios will hold talks with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi on resolving the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region.
Natsios told reporters in Khartoum Wednesday he plans to fly to Tripoli later in the day to discuss a Libyan role in the peace process in Darfur. Libya has hosted several mini-summits for African leaders to try to resolve the Darfur crisis.
Natsios made his remarks after talks with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on the third day of his visit to Khartoum. The envoy said they discussed moving forward the peace process in Darfur in western Sudan, saying the two agreed that negotiations were the only way to restore stability in the war-torn region.
Natsios added that Bashir told him his government agrees to holding negotiations with the rebel factions in Darfur without pre-conditions. He said the ball is now in the rebels' court to respond to the president's offer to resume the talks, urging the factions to adopt a unified position in this regard.
