Darfur mediator says peace deal to be reached before S. Sudan referendum

June 14, 2010 (NEW YORK) — The African Union (AU)-United Nations (UN) Joint Chief Mediator Dijibril Bassole, told the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) today that a final peace agreement should be signed before the South Sudan referendum on self determination scheduled for January 2011.

The date had been determined during a joint consultative meeting between the AU and the UN held early May in Addis Ababa. The meeting also reaffirmed the need for an inclusive process taking into account all issues of concerns to the people of Darfur.

The session also decided that, to achieve this objective, the Joint Chief mediator has to work in coordination with the chief of the UN mission in Sudan (UNMIS) envoy and the head of Darfur peacekeeping mission (UNAMID) under the leadership of the former South African President Thabo Mbeki who heads the AU High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP).

Among other things, AUHIP was tasked with assisting the Sudanese parties in the implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and other related processes, as part of the democratic transformation of Sudan.

In accordance with the decisions of the consultative meeting “every effort should be made to ensure that a political agreement on the Darfur crisis is reached before the referendum of January 2011,” Bassole announced before the 15 members of the UN Security Council on Monday.

Bassole further said that in line with these recommendations the mediation has established a schedule of talks allowing to finalize separate protocols on the different issues followed by an inclusive and final agreement.

“This agreement which shall be open to all warring parties should mark the end of the International Mediation as a means of resolving the crisis in Darfur and promote ways and means to implement effectively the consensus reached with the involvement of civil society,” he added.

The mediator told the UNSC that his team intends to submit a protocol to the delegations of the government and the rebels on the return of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Refugees and the compensations. The negotiations on this issue will begin on June 24 after the arrival of IDPs and refugees delegates to Doha.

The Government and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) agreed on a June 7 date to start direct peace talks and established six commissions to tackle the agenda of the talks including the security arrangements, power and wealth sharing, justice and reconciliation, and conflict resolution.

The rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) which suspended its participation in the peace talks since May 2, said it wants the reform of the peace process in a way to widen the mandate of the joint mediator and requested guarantees of the neutrality of the host country, Qatar, accused of favoring the Sudanese government.

Another rebel group boycotting the peace process, the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Abdel Wahid Al-Nur, maintains its initial position based on the need to provide security for the civilians and disarmament of militias loyal to the Sudanese government before to join the peace process.

However, Bassole told the UNSC that the mediation will exert the necessary efforts to ensure the effective participation of all the rebel groups in the final phase of the talks. In addition he pledged to work to bring the JEM back to the negotiating table and finalize a ceasefire agreement between Khartoum and the rebel group.

He also urged the members of the Council to require the government and JEM rebels to observe the cessation of hostilities signed on February 23 and to encourage all the rebel groups and the government to make dialogue the only way to resolve the seven year conflict.

(ST)