Africans refuse foreign hand in Darfur

TRIPOLI, Libya, May 17 (UPI) -- African leaders meeting in Tripoli, Libya, Tuesday rejected a proposal to invite outside help in settling the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region.

The leaders of Libya, Egypt, Nigeria, Sudan, Chad and Eritrea held two days of talks and decided the situation should be resolved within an African framework.

Sudanese President Omar Bashir said a government delegation will be dispatched to Abuja, Nigeria, by the end of May to hold talks with Darfur rebel leaders to find a suitable political settlement.

"We call on all countries who attended the summit to send delegations to Abuja in order to help negotiators find common ground," Bashir said.