EU dismissed meetings with Sudan’s SRF rebels: minister
November 11, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – State minister at the presidency Amin Hassan Omer said Sunday that the European Union (EU) dismissed meetings the Sudanese rebel leaders who are touring Europe currently.
The rebels called on the European Union to support their call for a comprehensive peace process to end the armed conflicts in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan, a demand rejected by the Sudanese government and the African Union.
“The European Union has officially informed the government they did not meet the rebel groups members of the Sudanese Revolutionary Movement (SRF), in Paris or any other European city to discuss Darfur conflict”, said state minister Amin Hassan Omer who is tasked with peace in Darfur.
The head of the Darfur peace follow up office told Ashorooq TV on Sunday that the government wouldn’t accept any new forum for negotiations outside the frame work of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD).
Omer said that Darfur rebel groups seek to avoid the AU recent warning to impose sanctions if they do not resume talks on the basis on the DDPD basis , adding that their demand for a new negotiations forum is a “free talk”.
The Sudanese official urged the United Nations Security Council to follow the African Union Peace and Security Council which rejected the rebels’ demand for a comprehensive approach .
“The UN must put more pressure on the rebel groups which knows well that the AU means what it says this time”, he added.
On a parallel development, Sudanese froeign minister Ali Karti met Sunday with EU’s special representative to the Horn of Africa, Alexander Rondos. The meeting discussed relations between Sudan and the European Union.
The Greek diplomat reaffirmed, according to the Sudanese foreign ministry, EU’s keenness to open a new page of cooperation between Sudan and the European Union.
Omer said that the government told the special representative of the United Nations African Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and joint peace mediator, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, that it doesn’t count on meetings with rebel groups which differs even in its historical stances.
Ibn Chambas is preparing to hold a second round of meeting with the non-signatory rebel groups in Addis Ababa about the humanitarian situation in Darfur and ways to reach a cessation of hostilities there.
Following two years of talks with Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and later on with Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM), the government and the latter signed a peace agreement on 14 July 2011.
JEM did sign the peace document but, at the time said in can be a basis for further negotiations. However a splinter faction led by Mohamed Bashar signed a peace deal with the government on 6 April 2013.
Omer reiterated his government’s commitment to implement the agreement signed with JEM-Bashar.
The leader of the former rebel group Bakheit Abdallah Abdel-Karim (Dabajo) will arrive in Khartoum on Wednesday accompanied by a high-level delegation from the Chadian government led by the foreign minister.
Omer said that the government would immediately embark on implementing the agreement with the JEM-Bashar beginning with the release of detainees, saying that JEM-Bashar will be represented on the state and national levels of the government.
(ST)