China played some special roles in the Darfur issue, but its influence should not be overestimated, said Chinese government's special representative for Darfur Liu Guijin Friday.

Next week the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) will hold a summit of the world’s Muslim leaders in Senegal’s capital, Dakar. At the meeting, Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade has offered to mediate talks between the leaders of Sudan and Chad, Presidents Omar Hassan al-Bashir and Idriss Deby. Vice President for Media and Conflict Resolution David Smock at the US Institute for Peace says he hopes that Islamic involvement will be able to help move resolution efforts in a new direction.

A deadly incident in the border region between Chad and Sudan in which a French soldier was apparently killed is highlighting the challenges of peacekeeping in the refugee-flooded, violence-wracked region. VOA's Nico Colombant reports from Dakar.

Britain's foreign secretary, David Miliband, has called on Sudan to speed up the deployment of peacekeepers to the war-ravaged Darfur region.

The international community is urging Sudan's ally China to pressure the Khartoum government to stop the deadly attacks in Darfur, where 200,000 people have been killed and two million displaced in the past five years. China's envoy for Darfur, Liu Guijin, stopped in London recently on his way to Darfur. He said his government is doing its utmost to bring peace to Sudan. Tendai Maphosa files this report for VOA.

The international community has a common responsibility to push the peace process in Darfur, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao on Thursday.

The Chinese government's special representative for Darfur, Liu Guijin, Monday pledged China will provide more humanitarian assistance to people in Sudan's western region of Darfur.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Deng Alor Sunday said China is very much welcome in helping the country find a solution to the Darfur issue.

China's envoy for the Darfur issue said on Sunday that China is committed to solving the Darfur issue and is not seeking expediency from the issue.

The British Government has praised China's efforts to help bring about an end to conflict in Darfur.

U.S. film director Stephen Spielberg has stepped down as artistic consultant to the Beijing Olympics due to China's policy on Sudan and the conflict in Darfur.

The head of UN peacekeeping has complained that Sudanese government red tape and lack of resources are delaying the deployment of an international force to protect civilians in the war-stricken region of Darfur.