by Xinhua writer Shao Jie

    KHARTOUM, May 18 (Xinhua) -- The Arab league (AL), the African Union (AU) and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) urged on Monday the rebel movements in the restive western Sudanese region of Darfur to join the country's peace process.

    This came during a consultative meeting between the Sudanese government and the three organizations, which was held in Khartoum on Sunday and Monday to discuss how to support the Darfur peace negotiations and promote security and humanitarian conditions in the region.

    The meeting also tackled how to contain the negative effects of the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC)against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

    The meeting was held at the invitation of the Sudanese government and was attended by AL Secretary General Amr Moussa, OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and AU Chairperson Jean Ping, said a press communique issued by the consultative meeting.

    "The leaders of the three organizations renew their call on the armed movements in Darfur to join the peace process, and ask the international community to exert the necessary pressure on the parties refusing to join the Darfur peace negotiations in the framework of the Arab-African initiative sponsored by the State of Qatar," the communique said.

    On Monday, the leaders of the three organizations visited the North Darfur State where they were briefed on the security and humanitarian situation in the region and listened to the reports of officials of the UN-AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), which indicated a significant improvement in security and stability in the region.

    The three leaders also expressed their support for the efforts of the Sudanese government to facilitate UNAMID peacekeeping forces to perform their mission in accordance with their mandate, stressing the need for the international community to continue their support for these positive efforts and strengthen them.

    During the visit in Darfur, the three leaders were also briefed on efforts by the Sudanese government to improve humanitarian conditions there, and the results of their joint efforts with the United Nations and voluntary aid groups working in the humanitarian field as well as the efforts of Arab, African and Islamic countries in this regard.

    In this context, the three parties agreed to follow up the humanitarian situation in Darfur in coordination with the Sudanese government to continuously provide humanitarian assistance required.

    On the ICC indictment against Omar al-Bashir, the three leaders reiterated their principled positions that this indictment would hinder efforts to solve the Darfur problem, threaten the peace in Sudan and in the whole area and send wrong signals about the Darfur peace negotiations.

    The three leaders reiterated their organizations' common position in support of Sudan to preserve its sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and immunity of its leadership.

    They also called on the Sudanese leaders to continue the investigations into the crimes being conducted in Darfur, and expressed their confidence in the capacity and integrity of the Sudanese judiciary to achieve the justice.

    Furthermore, they called on the UN Security Council to respond to the demands of the three organizations to defer the ICC decision against the Sudanese president.

    They also agreed to continue the coordination among themselves, strengthen their movements and intensify the joint communications with other regional and international organizations to achieve that goal.

    As to the recent Sudan-Chad conflict, the three organizations called on the leaders of Chad and Sudan to respect the sovereignty of states and the good-neighborly relations and common interests and to commit themselves to the implementation of the agreements concluded between them, the latest of which as the Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities signed in Doha on May 3.