Sudan: so near, yet so far; Prospects for an immediate end to conflict in the south are rapidly fading as the crisis in Darfur in the west holds the peace process hostage. Peter Moszynski reports.

The African Union's ambitions of a speedy political resolution to the Darfur crisis were dashed following the 18 July collapse of talks in Ethiopia, while negotiations for a comprehensive ceasefire for south Sudan also hit the rocks in Naivasha, Kenya.

Khartoum's policy of courting current anti-American sentiment in Arab and African countries in an attempt to ward off UN sanctions could well lead to an escalation in international concern as delays in humanitarian access lead to claims of genocide.

The rebels insist on six conditions before recommencing face-to-face talks. As well as disarming the Janjaweed militia, the rebels say Khartoum must: assist an international inquiry into genocide allegations, bring those responsible to justice, allow unimpeded humanitarian access, free prisoners of war and agree a neutral venue for future talks.

Meanwhile, as border tensions continue to escalate between Ethiopia and Eritrea, John Garang, the SPLA leader, has met with the northern Sudanese opposition National Democratic Alliance in the Eritrean capital, Asmara. The Darfur rebels refused to negotiate in Addis Ababa on the grounds that Sudan has a military alliance with Ethiopia.

Garang needs to convince his northern allies how they benefit from a settlement that divides power between him and President Bashir. Garang said the agreement "does not belong to the SPLM alone, or to the south, it must include the NDA and all other Sudanese political forces".

He, however, warned that there would be no deal that ignored Darfur. He is now also raising the issue of the Red Sea Hills, where the Beja Congress and other armed groups refuse to put down their arms without being included in the peace talks.

International pressure is increasing daily. The US secretary of state, Colin Powell, and the UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan, were both shaken by transparently-deceptive stagemanaged visits to refugee "show-camps" in Darfur in early July, and both are losing patience with Khartoum.

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Powell said: "We're going to keep the pressure up. We're not going to let the Sudanese government get away with just promises. We're expecting action and we'll be measuring them against the action they take, not the promises they make. "Sudan's foreign minister, Mustafa Othman Ismail, says the crisis has been exaggerated and Western statements on Darfur are "affronts to Sudan and its people."

Khartoum has been courting support from Arab, Islamic and African countries. Mustafa Ismail warned: "Any negative intervention by the Security Council will impair and complicate the relationship between the Council and the Sudanese government and will not be conducive to solving the issue."

But the WHO insists that international action cannot wait: "Hundreds of thousands of people's lives are now hanging in the balance, and they need help now."

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), Sudanese government documents show clear support for the Janjaweed. HRW director Kenneth Roth said: "We can no longer trust Khartoum to police itself when Khartoum is part of a large problem."