WORLD : Chad, Libya Sign Peace Accord

Chad and Libya signed a peace accord today that calls for an end to fighting over a disputed strip of desert that has been the focus of 16 years of bloodshed, diplomats said.

The agreement was signed in Algiers by Chadian Foreign Minister Acheikh Ibn Oumar and his Libyan counterpart, Jaddallah Talhi.

The agreement calls for the parties to try to resolve their dispute through a political settlement within a year. If that fails, they are to take the issue to the International Court of Justice in The Hague to rule on who holds sovereignty over the Aozou strip, a 45,000-square-mile band of mineral-rich desert between the two countries.

According to the Chadian Embassy in Paris, Chad and Libya agreed to the withdrawal of all forces from the disputed region, leaving it under the administration of a group of African observers until the court renders its decision.