Chad blames Sudanese western “gunmen” for peace talks collapse

By Sudanese radio

KHARTOUM, Dec 17, 2003 — Peace talks between the government delegation and the Darfur [western Sudan] gunmen held in the Chadian capital, Ndjamena under the auspices of President Idris Deby have collapsed.

During the talks, the Darfur gunmen laid down unreasonable conditions such as the formation of a federal government in the Darfur states under their leadership for a transitional period, as well as their command of the military region there.

At the same time, the Darfur gunmen asked for a 13 per cent share of the government revenues.

The Chadian government issued a statement blaming the Darfur gunmen for the collapse of the negotiations and praised the government delegation’s wish to achieve peace in the region.

The statement said the Chadian president would meet today European and US ambassadors to brief them on the Darfur gunmen’s stance which rejects peace.

BBC Monitoring Middle East