By Opheera McDoom KHARTOUM, July 25 (Reuters) - Uniting deeply fractured Darfur rebels and bringing their leaders to the bargaining table are just the first hurdles mediators face in the long road to new peace talks to end four years of conflict in western Sudan. Persuading Khartoum to reopen parts of the peace deal signed with one rebel faction last year will be vital to the success of any talks, as will disarming militias and releasing a respected Darfur rebel who has been virtually imprisoned for more than a year, analysts said. "The political process ... must be one that can bring durable peace and a just future to the people of Darfur," said former U.S. ambassador and senior member of the Save Darfur coalition Lawrence Rossin. "Difficult talks over every key issue can be expected ... power and resource sharing ... boundaries, representations in central and Darfur-level institutions, compensation and disarmament," he added. U.N. officials negotiating for the deployment of joint U.N.-African Union peacekeepers by the end of the year warn there must be a peace for the force to keep. Rape, looting and murder has driven some 2.5 million people from their homes in Darfur and an estimated 200,000 have died since the conflict broke out in early 2003 over rebel charges the government was neglecting its western region. The United Nations said in a report this week, thousands of people continue to flee their homes and access to those in need has shrunk by 10 percent compared with last year. NO EXCLUSIONS After the May 2006 peace deal with the government, signed by only one of three rebel factions, the rebels disintegrated into more than a dozen groups and sub-groups, increasing the violence in Darfur and complicating peace efforts. U.N. Darfur envoy Jan Eliasson and his African Union counterpart Salim Ahmed Salim say they hope to decide who will be invited to talks by the end of August. But some analysts say all relevant groups should be represented to avoid spoilers for the peace process, as occurred after the 2006 deal when riots erupted in camps within days of the signing. "Every rebel group that represents a real segment of the Darfur population should be invited. The talks cannot achieve a durable settlement if significant representative movements are excluded," Rossin said. The unification of smaller groups like the umbrella United Front for Liberation and Development recently formed in Eritrea will make the decision on who attends easier. Eliasson and Salim hope to address divisions, form a united negotiating platform, and get consensus on a venue in a meeting in Tanzania in early August. Analysts say while that is important, it is just a first step. The contentious issue of what will be up for discussion during future peace talks has not yet been broached. Rebels want to reopen last year's deal, which most of them rejected. "All SLA (rebel Sudan Liberation Army) factions (agree) in the line of refusing the Darfur peace agreement (DPA) completely," said Esam al-Hajj, a leader of one rebel faction at unity talks in Libya. Khartoum has agreed to attend talks but left little room for negotiations, insisting that the deal not be reopened. "Khartoum's pretension that the DPA must be considered as immutable in all but details cannot be accepted," said Rossin. "The DPA's inadequacies are legion." DISARMAMENT Among the most contentious issues in the DPA is the clause that leaves disarmament of militia accused of war crimes to Khartoum, supported by a struggling AU force which has been unable to defend itself against attacks. Rebels argue Khartoum armed the militia, locally known as Janjaweed, so cannot be trusted to disarm them. "The rebels will not sign on to a document that requires for example trusting Khartoum to disarm the Janjaweed," said Eric Reeves, a U.S. academic and Darfur activist. Analysts also agreed the guaranteed free movement of SLA Humanitarian Coordinator Suleiman Jamous was imperative to the peace process. Jamous was the link between the world's largest aid operation and the rebels. One of the oldest and best educated members of the insurgency, he was respected by most commanders and kept rebel looting of aid convoys under control. He was arrested by DPA signatory Minni Arcua Minnawi for opposing him, and was in need of urgent medical treatment. Thirteen months ago the United Nations moved him to a U.N. hospital in South Kordofan state, infuriating Khartoum which was not informed of the flight. Khartoum calls Jamous a "terrorist" and says if he leaves the hospital he will be arrested. "Suleiman Jamous is critical to the success of these talks and to rebel unity," said Reeves. "It is shameful and incomprehensible that precisely the person who has been and could continue to be useful in promoting a real and sustainable solution ... has been taken out of action and abandoned in this way," said actress Mia Farrow, goodwill ambassador for the U.N. children's fund (UNICEF). Jamous told Reuters by telephone he would attend the talks if released. He urged both rebels and the government not to forget the civilians suffering as they inched towards talks. "The best thing is to hurry for a sustainable and durable peace on the ground, he said.
