Sudan ? Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir agreed to a 60-day cease-fire in his nation’s troubled Darfur region on Wednesday but again rejected calls for a U.N. force to help end one of Africa’s bloodiest conflicts.

Al-Bashir issued a joint statement with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat, agreeing to the temporary halt of military action while also expanding access for journalists and aid workers. Richardson, who had traveled to Sudan on behalf of the Save Darfur Coalition, a Washington-based advocacy group, said several rebel leaders had orally agreed to the cease-fire.

Successive cease-fires, including a May 2006 peace deal negotiated in Nigeria, have been broken both by al-Bashir and the various rebel groups fighting for control of Darfur. But Richardson, who has negotiated with the Sudanese president on other occasions, said al-Bashir appeared sincere in seeking a diplomatic solution.

“He realizes he’s isolated and has got to change,” said Richardson, speaking by telephone from Khartoum, Sudan’s capital. “He’s boxed in.”