KHARTOUM, May 5 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese government and one of the two factions of the biggest rebel group in Sudan's western region of Darfur will sign a peace agreement Friday evening, the official Sudanese News Agency (SUNA) reported.

    "The government and Minni Arkou Minawi's faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLA) are going to sign the final agreement at the Presidential Palace in the Nigerian capital Abuja at 6:00 p.m.(1900 GMT)," Amin Hassan Omer, spokesman of the government delegation told SUNA.

    Omer added that the African mediators and the international society were still exerting efforts to persuade the other faction of the SLA led by Abdu al-Wahid al-Nour to sign the agreement too.He said that the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), another rebel group in Darfur, had not changed its position refusing to accept the agreement.

    "We are still waiting reaction of the African mediators to the JEM position," said the spokesman.

    The agreement to be signed was put forward by the African Union (AU), which has been a key mediator for talks between Khartoum and Darfur rebels.

    Nourredin al-Mazeni, spokesman of the AU chief mediator for the Abuja peace negotiations, said that "today will be one of the great days witnessing Sudan gathering in the peace fruits."

    The agreement scheduled to be signed Friday came after three times of extension of a deadline originally set on April 30, because the three rebel factions failed to agree to the draft deal.Rebels in Sudan's western arid Darfur region took up arms against the government in February 2003, accusing Khartoum of neglect. Enditem