Qatar postpones Afro Arab meeting on Darfur

January 3, 2009 (CAIRO) – Qatar has postponed a ministerial meeting scheduled to take place tomorrow in Doha to discuss African and Arab efforts to solve Darfur conflict, the Arab league said.

Since last September Qatar has been chosen to organize peace talks between Sudanese government and Darfur rebel movements to end the six year conflict in western Sudan.

A six-member committee co-chaired by the Qatari Prime Minister, Hamad bin Jasim, Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Jean Ping and Arab League Secretary General Amr Musa had to meet on Sunday January 4.

The panel is charged with the organisation and sponsorship of peace negotiations between the Sudanese government and the rebel movements. Qatar has been chosen to host the peace talks.

Qatari government asked the Arab League to delay the meeting of foreign minister committee to January 12 because Prime Minister Jamis who is also the foreign minister had to travel for New York with other Arab counterparts to seek ceasefire between Israel and Gaza.

The Arab-Afro panel will tackle the current situation and adopt a plan of action for the next period in order to bring all the concerned parties together to negotiate a lasting and comprehensive solution for the conflict.

Joint African Union-UN Chief Mediator for Darfur Djibril Bassolé were to attend the meeting.

The former rebel group that signed a peace deal with Sudan in May 2006, blamed the Qatari officials of ignoring their movement. Minni Minwai, the Senior Presidential Assistant, said he would ask the Arab League to move the venue of the expected talks from Qatar to another country willing to accept his participation in the talks like, Libya or Eritrea.

(ST)