Finnish envoy, rebel JEM discuss Doha process for Darfur peace

March 4, 2009 (PARIS) — The Finnish Special Envoy for Horn of Africa and Sudan, MP Pekka Haavisto, met on Monday the head of Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) delegation to the Qatar peace talks, Gibril Ibrahim, in Chad.

JEM described the Qatari round as a first step towards peace in Darfur. Haavisto encouraged JEM to continue the peace process in Qatar, and to support the United Nations and Africa Union joint mediator, Djibril Bassolé, as well as Qatar for hosting the talks.

The Finnish envoy also hoped that all parties continue to be engaged to the talks, whatever the International Criminal Court decision will be on Wednesday 4 March.

He stressed that there is no military solution to the Darfur conflict. Haavisto raised with JEM also the recent dispute inside the movement, which led to the arrest of soldiers from the Midob tribe last January.

Haavisto emphasized that the international community pays high attention also to the human rights issues inside the movements, and expressed as his wish that the dispute inside JEM can be solved through peaceful means.

From Chad the Finnish Special Envoy continued to an AU meeting in Addis Ababa in the delegation of the Finnish Foreign Minister, Alexander Stubb.

Earlier last February, Haavisto was in Khartoum to hold talks with the Sudanese official on Darfur conflict. He also encouraged the CPA partners to fully implement the 2005 pace agreement.

(ST)