Sudan’s chief negotiator blames SPLM-N for deadlocked talks
November 29, 2014 (ADDIS ABABA) – The Sudanese government chief negotiator, Ibrahim Ghandour, has accused the head of the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) negotiating team, Yasir Arman, of being misled by military alliances and political agenda not related to the Two Areas.
The eighths round of talks between the Sudanese government and the SPLM-N on South Kordofan and Blue Nile resumed on Wednesday 26 November, but the divergent positions of the two negotiating parties prevented any breakthrough.
Earlier this month when the chief mediator adjourned the discussions on the framework agreement, he said he gave the parties some additional “home work” documents asking them to explain their position on it.
Arman told Sudan Tribune that the texts are related to the comprehensive cessation of hostilities in the Two areas and Darfur, issues related to the conflict areas, and the national dialogue preparatory conference which is supposed to held at the African Union headquarters with participation of all the Sudanese parties.
He further said all these matters are based on the decision 456 of the AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) establishing one peace process with two tracks for Darfur and the Two Areas. Both should converge at the preparatory meeting which will lead to the national dialogue conference inside the Sudan on constitutional reforms.
In remarks to the media on Saturday following a meeting with a rebel delegation, Ghandour said that the latter repeated the “same previous stories to waste time”, adding we heard these stories “dozens of times” and they would not help advance the talks.
He pointed the government delegation underscored that it came to this round of talks to complete the framework agreement on the Two Areas according to the invitation extended by the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP).
“We requested a meeting with the [African] mediation and we handed them over a written position while the other side brought a paper including answers to questions they claim received from the mediation,” he added.
The Sudanese chief negotiator said these questions appear in the heart of the framework agreement and must be answered by both parties.
He pointed these questions include how to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire and security arrangements and how to agree on the three committees besides how to participate in the national dialogue.
Ghandour added they requested these issues be discussed within the framework agreement and according to arrangements it suggested but the other side refused and demanded offering answers to these questions apart from the framework agreement.
He pointed the mediation team saw it is better to discuss the contentious issues in the framework agreement “point by point” until agreeing on them all, saying the SPLM-N delegation asked for further time to answer these questions.
He further renewed the government rejection for the SPLM-N demand to discuss the cessation of hostilities in Darfur, adding that Darfur issues are being discussed in a separate track and cannot be inserted in another forum dedicated to South Kordofan and Blue Nile.
Ghandour accused Arman of being “held hostage to military alliances and political agenda that has nothing to do with Sudan”.
NCP AVOIDING COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTION
From his side, the SPLM-N top negotiator, Arman, told reporters that the government delegation didn’t not bring its responses to the questions related to the three matters that the mediation raised.
Arman further accused the government delegation came empty-handed and did provide expected answers adding, “They are buying time … So we met Mbeki (Saturday) and we agreed to raise these issues through the framework document.”
The chief mediator is expected to hold a meeting with the two delegation on Sunday before to travel to Germany to discuss the draft framework agreement.
The rebel leader further said they want clear question on how to reach the national constitutional conference, adding that Sudan’s ruling party wants to control this process as it had did when they held Kenana conference for Darfur issue.
We are looking for a cessation of hostilities in the Two Areas and Darfur and we want a preparatory conference at the African Union headquarters. These are the tasks that should be done, but it seems that the government delegation came with no answers,” he said .
The Blue Nile and South Kordofan’s conflict erupted months apart from each other in 2011 when Sudan attempted to forcibly disarm SPLM-N fighters it accuses of being backed by their brother-in-arms in the South Sudanese army.
(ST)