Washington urges resumption of peace talks for peace in Darfur

November 16, 2011 (WASHINGTON) — At the end of a two-day workshop on peace in Darfur held in Washington on Wednesday, the US Administration called for the resumption of talks for a negotiated settlement between Khartoum and the non signatory rebels.

The State Department organized during 15-16 November a workshop on “The State and Direction of the Peace Process” attended by the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement of Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM), besides the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) which signed a peace agreement with Khartoum last July.

The Sudanese government and the SLM led by Abdel Wahid Al-Nur did not participate at the closed meeting which was hosted by the US Institute for Peace in Washington.

The workshop “produced frank and constructive discussions on Darfur and served as a unique opportunity to foster dialogue among some of the key stakeholders,” said the State Department today.

The statement, released on Wednesday at the end of the workshop, termed the DDPD as ” a step forward in the peace process” and urged the signatories to implement it “fully and transparently”.

Washington on the other hand called upon the government and all holdout rebels to ” to pursue their political goals through peaceful means, including through negotiations and compromise”. It further exhorted the government and the armed movements to ” proceed without unrealistic demands or incendiary rhetoric that risk permanently immobilizing the peace process”.

Sudanese government said the Doha process was the last forum for negotiations with the rebel groups. Officials say non-signatory rebel groups, except SLM-MM, have to endorse the DDPD. Khartoum also stipulates that they can only negotiate their political participation in the national and regional institutions.

Gibreel Adam Bilal, JEM spokesperson, said that Washington meeting was an opportunity for his group to advocate the programme of new rebel alliance which aims to topple the government.

He also said in a statement released today that JEM called to impose a no-fly-zone and to establish safe roads and humanitarian corridors in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

JEM was the other rebel group participating in the Doha peace process but it refused to sign the DDPD and demanded to open the framework peace document for talks. The SLM led by Abdel Wahid Al-Nur was not part of the Doha peace process.

Regarding, the SLM-MM, Khartoum says he can holds talks on the implementation of a peace deal he signed with the government in May 2006, but he is not allowed to sign the Doha document.

(ST)