SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - Sudan's government declared an immediate
unilateral ceasefire as Darfur peace talks opened on Saturday, but one
rebel leader voiced doubts about Khartoum's move, saying it had failed
to honor past such undertakings.
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"We announce a ceasefire from this moment, and we will respect it
unilaterally," Sudanese presidential adviser Nafie Ali Nafie told the
gathering in the Libyan town of Sirte aimed at ending 4-1/2 years of
violence in the western region.

Rebel leader Ahmed Ibrahim Diraige of the Sudan Federal Democratic
Alliance told Reuters: "The government has already said several times
since 2004 that they observed a ceasefire. They again spoke like this
today. We have our doubts."

Mediators acknowledged the meeting was weakened by the absence of key
rebel leaders, a reality that cast doubt on whether anything decided
at the gathering could produce meaningful results.

On the eve of the African Union-United Nations-mediated talks, two
main rebel groups -- the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the
Sudan Liberation Army Unity faction -- said they would not attend.

That decision emerged after another rebel chief, Abdel Wahed Mohamed
el-Nur, founder of a third group, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA),
said he would not attend the talks. JEM-SLA Unity represent the
biggest military threat to the Sudanese government and Nur has the
most popular support among Darfuris.

In a message from New York, U.N. Secretary General Ban ki-Moon called
on those rebels who were absent to attend, saying they stood to lose
much if they continued to stay away.

"As a demonstration of your genuine commitment to ending the suffering
of the people of Darfur and to finding a lasting peace, I urge all
parties to commit to an immediate cessation of hostilities here and
now," he said.

African Union (AU) envoy Salim Ahmed Salim told the gathering: "Enough
is enough. Let us not forget that what happened in Darfur will sooner
or later impact the rest of Sudan, the rest of the region and the rest
of Africa. Sudan is a microcosm of Africa."

"SERIOUS SETBACK"

The talks are the first attempt to gather Darfur rebels and the
government around a negotiating table since 2006 when the African
Union mediated Darfur peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria.

Signed by only one rebel faction, the resulting deal had little
support among the 2 million Darfuris trapped in displacement camps.

Rather than bring peace, it triggered fresh violence, as rebels split
into more than a dozen factions, some preying on civilians, aid
workers and AU troops sent to the region to quell the violence but
unable to protect themselves.

International experts say 200,000 people have died since rebels rose
up against the government in 2003, charging it with neglect. The
Sudanese government says the Western media exaggerates the crisis and
only 9,000 people have died.

Analysts have warned that without full rebel representation the Libya
talks would go the way of the Abuja deal.