Washington Forum aims to support Doha process for peace in Darfur – Qatar
September 11, 2011 (DOHA) — The Washington Forum on Darfur intends to support the Doha peace process and to convince the reluctant Sudanese parties to join it, a Qatari minister said after a first meeting of the follow-up committee to implement the Doha peace agreement.
However, US officials said the meeting does not aim to launch a new initiative or to replace the Doha venue but intends to discuss ways to revitalize the process and include the other rebel groups in the talks. However Khartoum’s reticence has delayed the meeting to 27 October.
“Two days ago I had a meeting with the US special envoy to Sudan Princeton Lyman who told me that Washington Forum is not an alternative to the Doha venue but an invitation to push the rebel movements to negotiate with Khartoum,” said Qatar’s State Minister for foreign affairs, Ahmed bin Abdullah Al-Mahmoud on Sunday
The Implementation Follow-Up Committee(IFC), a mechanism established in accordance with the Doha Darfur Peace Document (DDPD), held its first meeting on Sunday in Doha to discuss the implementation of the peace agreement signed between the government and LJM on 14 July 2011.
The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), which is part of the Doha process, welcomed the DDPD but asked to open the framework text for joint talks with the government. The latter refused JEM’s demand and gave the rebel group three months to join the agreement.
A reliable source, who attended the meeting, told Sudan Tribunethat the IFC discussed extensively ways to include JEM in the peace talks based on the framework document. The envoy of the US and the UK stressed on the need to include JEM in the peace process, he said.
JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim who has returned to Darfur after more than a year in Libya told Sudan Tribune on Sunday that JEM is willing for any talks that can achieve a just and lasting peace in Darfur. Khalil also called on the Chadian president Idris Deby to play a crucial role to end the eight year conflict in Darfur.
Minister Al-Mahmoud said the participants hailed the efforts exerted by the government and LJM to implement the 14 July peace agreement. He also said the meeting reaffirmed that the talks should not suspend the implementation of the Khartoum-LJM deal.
A LJM delegation is currently in Khartoum to prepare the return of its leader Tijani El-Sissi and to meet civil society and political parties. The delegation met yesterday with the opposition Islamist leader Hassan Al-Turabi who encouraged the group to work for the full implementation of the Doha deal.
The rebel Sudan Liberation Movement faction led by Abdel Wahid Al-Nur did not take part in the process. The two SLM factions led by Minnawi and Nur signed an alliance with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement calling to overthrow the government of the National Congress Party.
Talks are taking place to include JEM but the parties failed to reach an agreement on the place of religion in the Sudanese state. JEM speaks about a citizenship state and the three other groups say they want a secular state.
(ST)