TEXT: Tripoli Consensus on Darfur Political Process

April 29, 2007 (TRIPOLI) — At the invitation of the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, an international meeting on the situation in Darfur was held in Tripoli on 28 and 29 April 2007. The following states and organisations attended the meeting: Sudan, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Netherlands, Norway, the African Union, the European Union, the League of Arab States, and the United Nations.

The meeting reconfirmed support for the Addis Ababa conclusions of 16 November 2006, subsequently endorsed by the AU Peace and Security Council and the UN Security Council.

The participants underlined the urgency of finding a comprehensive and sustainable solution to the Darfur crisis and:

Expressed grave concern over continued violence and insecurity in Darfur and urged all parties to immediately cease hostilities and act upon their commitment to uphold a ceasefire without delay;

Expressed deep concern over the prevailing humanitarian situation and strongly urged all parties to facilitate humanitarian access and delivery. In this context, welcomed the agreement that was reached on 28 March 2007 between the Government of the Sudan and the UN, and called upon all parties to implement it fully;

Called for immediate cessation of all attacks against humanitarian workers, AMIS personnel, and their properties;

Recognized the complementarity of the political and peacekeeping tracks;

Stressed the need for sustained funding for AMIS until transition to the Hybrid operation, for humanitarian assistance, and for economic recovery and development;

Stressed that the political process be given priority, and, in this context, reviewed all on-going initiatives in support of a sustainable political solution to the Darfur crisis and emphasized the importance of continued involvement of regional actors in the process;

Noted on-going efforts aimed at cohesion and consolidated positions among the non-signatories, including the SPLM plan to hold a conference of non-signatories, and called for urgent progress of those efforts;

Agreed on the need for convergence and coordination of all these initiatives under AU-UN lead;

Urged all parties to demonstrate serious commitment in the political process and accelerate preparations for negotiations;

Warned all parties that those who obstruct the peace process in Darfur will have to bear the consequences;

Underlined the need to make the peace process more inclusive and urged the AU and UN to continue engaging with civil society, tribal leaders, IDPs, refugees, and women groups;

Expressed support for the AU and UN Special Envoys’ activities and encouraged them, in cooperation with regional and other efforts, to intensify consultations and rapidly finalize their road-map on a strategy and timeline for renewed negotiations, including format, venue and support required for the mediation team;

Welcomed the recent positive developments in the relationship between Chad and Sudan and encouraged the two countries to continue the ongoing efforts for the implementation of the Tripoli Agreement of 8 February 2006 and the subsequent bilateral agreements between the two countries.

The participants expressed their gratitude to the Leader of the Revolution and to the Libyan people for hosting this important co-ordination meeting on the political process for Darfur and for the hospitality extended to the participants.

(African Union)