Sudan agrees to move peace talks with eastern rebels to Eritrea
April 7, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese government informed the rebel Eastern Front that it has no objection to Eritrean mediation in the peace talks between the two parties, a daily news paper reported.
Presidential advisor, Ahmed Balal Osman, last week held a meeting with, led by, Salim al-Mabrouk , head of the Free Lions Movement, the General Secretary of Eastern Sudan Front in the Egyptian capital to discuss the holding of the peace talks. Osman, informed him that Khartoum has no objection to organize the talks in Eritrea.
Marbrouk also, disclosed that he met in Tripoli the second Vice-President Ali Osman Taha who told him that his government agrees to see Eritrea playing a central role in eastern Sudan talks.
Regarding the Libyan mediation, he affirmed that there are high level coordination between Tripoli and Asmara. The secretary general of the Eastern Front praised the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) proposal to hold eastern talks in Asmara.
The SPLM secretary general Pagan Amun on April 5, 2006 said that the SPLM leadership council proposed to move eastern Sudan peace talks to Asmara.
Head of Organizational Affairs at the Eritrean ruling People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) Abdellah Jabir said that Eritrea is ready to “play a constructive role in the Sudanese peace process”.
Peace talks between Khartoum and eastern Sudan rebels have been repeatedly delayed since November, most recently on Tuesday Thursday 9 February 2006 after the two sides disagreed over Eritrea’s participation.
“Relations between Khartoum and Asmara have not reached a level (of improvement) at which Eritrea can mediate in Sudanese internal issues,” said a spokesman for the ruling National Congress Party, Kamal al-Obeid.
Eritrea “has an intimate knowledge of the Sudanese people and tribes and the Sudanese circumstances and, for this reason, we believe it will be instrumental in brokering peace between the two Sudanese parties,” insisted Eastern Front deputy leader Amna Dhirar.
Eritrea said on Monday April 3, 2006 it would soon appoint an ambassador to Sudan in what it called a sign of the improving relationship between the two neighbors after a decade of frosty ties.
Rebels took up arms in the 1990s and control the small Hamesh Koreb area. In January, government-allied forces entered Hamesh Koreb and clashed with rebels in an area that borders Eritrea.
The Eastern Front complains of marginalization by the Khartoum government, which it accuses of exploiting natural resources such as oil, natural gas, gold and other minerals at the expense of the local population.
– For further information about the Eastern Sudan conflict please read ICG report Sudan: Saving Peace in the East
at http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?l=1&id=3858
(ST)