By C. Bryson Hull
ARUSHA, Tanzania (Reuters) - Darfur rebel factions on Sunday sat together for the first time at talks in Tanzania to try to unify their fractured positions ahead of peace talks with Sudan's government.
But the absence of some key figures raised doubts over the chances of success and Sudan accused France of failing to encourage one influential rebel leader to attend.
Diplomats at the meeting sponsored by the United Nations and African Union said a handful of rebel field commanders had joined the talks at a luxury resort near Mount Kilimanjaro after flying in from their remote and arid region of western Sudan.
They sat with political leaders of other factions. Diplomats hope the rebels can agree on a common platform for talks with Khartoum as well as a date and venue for negotiations.
The U.N. Security Council last week approved a 26,000-strong peacekeeping force for Darfur, giving new impetus to work on a political settlement to end a four-year conflict in which international experts estimate 200,000 people have died.
"The rebel movements are interacting and talking among themselves now, and we are expecting them to come with something. We are very encouraged by this kind of interaction," African Union spokesman Noureddine Mezni said.
It was not immediately clear whether the meeting would finish as planned by late on Sunday.
U.N. Darfur envoy Jan Eliasson and African Union counterpart Salim Ahmed Salim also held talks on Sunday with representatives of Chad, Eritrea, Egypt and Libya in Arusha to get them to use their influence over factions they support.
ABSENT
But some key figures are missing from Arusha.
Sudan accused France of not encouraging Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) founder and chairman Abdel Wahed Mohamed el-Nur to attend. He has only a few troops at his back, but commands huge support among 2.5 million Darfuris forced into refugee camps.
Analysts say his blessing is essential to the success of any peace deal. He refused to attend the talks until an oil-for-food programme and no-fly zone are implemented in Darfur.
Sudan summoned the French ambassador on Saturday to explain why France had not pressed Nur to go to Arusha.
"The government was shocked at France's failure to push the one rebel leader present in its country to attend a meeting aimed at ending the suffering of the people of Darfur," a foreign ministry statement seen by Reuters said.
A French foreign ministry said Paris and Khartoum were in touch over the matter, but declined to comment further.
Since a peace deal signed in May 2006 by only one rebel faction, insurgents have split into more than a dozen groups.
Key field commanders Jar el-Neby and Suleiman Marajan arrived in Tanzania on Saturday, but the large SLA-Unity faction, headed by Abdallah Yehia, refused to participate until SLA Humanitarian Coordinator Suleiman Jamous was freed.
Khartoum has left Jamous virtually imprisoned in a U.N. hospital near Darfur for 13 months, threatening him with arrest if he leaves. Sudan says it is open to talks on his release.
"Yehia told me that our force commanders in the field were still refusing and if he attended the talks, the movement may split," Jamous said.
Jamous was the key liaison between the world's largest humanitarian operation and rebels, keeping violence and looting of aid convoys down.
Mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms in early 2003 accusing central government of neglecting Darfur. Khartoum mobilised mostly Arab militias to quell the revolt.
