Sudanese rebel leaders demanded that Islam be kept out of government in the war torn region of Darfur, opening up another potentially dangerous rift between them and the Khartoum government.
Speaking as African Union peace talks in the Nigerian capital Abuja moved on to discussion of a political settlement to the 20-month-old civil conflict, rebel leaders called for a clear division between religion and the state in Sudan.
"We are now prepared to start deliberations on the political issues, following the appeal of the international observers and facilitators," said Mahgoud Hussein, spokesman for the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM).
"Firstly, we'll start with the declaration of principles. We want a clear distinction between the state and religion. Right now in Sudan you have a situation where Islam is given prominence over other religions," he added.
"This shouldn't be so. Even though I'm a Muslim, we want religion to be a personal thing with every citizen having the freedom to practice what he believes in," he explained.
The rebel demand was immediately rejected by government negotiators, who insisted that mainly-Muslim northern Sudan, including Darfur, should be governed under the principles of Islamic law.
"Darfur is in the north, so Sharia law should apply. It is not negociable," said Abdul Zuma, media adviser to the Sudanese government at the talks.
Darfur's black African tribes are predominantly Muslim but regard themselves as culturally separate from the Arabs who dominate the Khartoum government.
In earlier peace negotiations with mainly Christian rebels in southern Sudan the government conceded that Sharia law would not apply there under an eventual settlement, but the western region of Darfur was not included in the offer.
Darfur's warring parties have been meeting in Abuja for more than a week in a bid to find a way out of a conflict which has claimed tens of thousands of lives and driven 1.5 million civilians from their homes.
The rebels launched an insurrection last year to fight for greater autonomy and public spending for their region, alleging that Khartoum's Arab-led regime discriminates against black populations.