CAIRO, Egypt - Arab countries on Sunday said the Sudanese government needs more time to end the crisis in its troubled Darfur region, where purportedly state-backed Arab militias are accused of killing thousands of African villagers.
The 22-member Arab League, which held an emergency meeting Sunday on Darfur, also rejected "threats of military intervention in the region or imposing any sanctions on Sudan."
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo offered to host peace talks to resolve what has been called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
Obasanjo invited the Sudanese government and rebel negotiators to hold talks in Nigeria starting Aug. 23, a spokesman for the African Union said. Previous talks fell apart July 17 after rebels walked out, saying the Sudanese government had ignored existing peace agreements.
The 18-month conflict began when black African factions in Darfur rose up against the Sudanese government, claiming discrimination in the distribution of the large, arid region's scarce resources. Since then, Arab militias have gone on a rampage, destroying villages, killing and raping. As many as 30,000 people have been killed, and 1 million people have been forced to flee their homes.
The U.S. Congress and some humanitarian groups have accused Sudan of genocide, and a July 30 U.N. resolution has threatened economic and diplomatic action against Sudan if it doesn't act within 30 days to rein in the militias, known as Janjaweed.
Amr Moussa, the Arab League secretary-general, said on Sunday the Security Council resolution is "a developing process, not a deadline."
He also rejected accusations the government is guilty of genocide, adding that the point was agreed to by the African Union, Arab League and United Nations. No official at the talks mentioned the number of people killed in the crisis.
Sudan denies backing the Janjaweed and was hoping Arab nations at Sunday's gathering would back it against international pressure.
The Arab League also decided to provide financial, technical and logistical support to Sudan.
On Wednesday, the United Nations and Sudan signed a new agreement requiring the Arab-dominated Khartoum government to create safe areas in Darfur within 30 days so civilians can search for food and water and work their land without fear of attack.
The "Plan of Action for Darfur" would halt all military operations by government forces, militias, and rebel groups in the safe areas.
Under the agreement, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press on Sunday, the government will approach "militias over whom it has influence and instruct them to cease their activities forthwith and lay down their weapons."
Moussa said Arab countries in north Africa are willing to participate in a peacekeeping force to help calm the situation in Sudan's western region. The African Union plans to dispatch 1,600-1,800 soldiers to protect an unarmed 150-member monitoring mission.
African Union Commission Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare warned the Arab League of the grave situation in Darfur and accused Sudan of the "mismanagement and marginalization" of Darfur's indigenous population.
But Mustafa Osman Ismail, the Sudanese foreign minister, said his government "has exerted all its efforts to contain the crisis peacefully." He also accused the rebels of trying to establish an independent state.
