Darfur rebels say ‘not ready’ for Abuja peace talks

Excerpt from report by Sudanese independent Al-Mashahir (Almshaheer), BBC Monitoring Middle East.

Sept 4, 2005 (Khartoum) — The rebel Sudan Liberation Movement [SLM] in Darfur yesterday called for the postponement of the peace talks with the Khartoum government, which were set to be held in the Nigerian capital next week. However, this request was turned down by Minister of Foreign Affairs Mustafa Uthman Isma’il.

In an official statement the SLM said it would not take part in the [Abuja] talks before holding its general meetings, pointing out that that it was ‘not ready’ for the talks.

SLM leaders said they would meet in Darfur to discuss developments and draw-up strategies for the future, however, they did not set a date for the meeting.

A new round of peace talks, sponsored by the AU, is expected to be held on 15 September between rebel groups in Darfur, the SLM, JEM [Justice and Equality Movement] and the government. [Passage omitted]