UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has named a five-member panel to investigate whether genocide has taken place in Sudan's Darfur region.
The panel will be lead by Italian judge Antonio Cassese.
The commission was created at the request of the UN Security Council in a US-drafted resolution.
It will also look into reports of widespread violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws in the western Sudanese area.
Three of the five panel members met with Mr Annan to set out a timetable for their work.
