Darfur rebel movement welcomes AU-UN report on hybrid force deployment

Darfur rebel movement welcomes AU-UN report on hybrid force deployment
BBC Monitoring Service – United Kingdom
Published: May 27, 2007

Text of report by Sudanese independent newspaper Al-Ayyam on 27 May

The leader of the [rebel faction of the] Sudan Liberation Movement, Abd-al-Wahid Muhammad Nur has welcomed the report by the joint UN and AU committee on the deployment of a hybrid force in Darfur and urged swift implementation to protect civilians. In a telephone call with Al-Ayyam, Abd-al-Wahid said “we welcome the report but still say the UN must implement it immediately,” “there are tens of Security Council resolutions which have not been implemented because of the government’s stubbornness,” he added. Nur further revealed that he is in contact with permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council to push for the implementation of the report. “In the next phase, we will be exerting efforts to advance the issue of International Criminal Court trials of Darfur crime perpetrators,” Nur said. He reaffirmed that negotiations were linked to implementing the Security Council agreement to deploy UN troops. He said this was to protect displaced people and allow them to return to their lands in addition to the payment of individual and collective compensation and making those who committed crimes accountable. “We will not negotiate unless international resolutions are implemented and genocide is stopped,” he said “in the meantime, we should not talk about negotiations,” he added. “The government accepts everything 100 percent but does not implement 100 percent that is why we will not negotiate,” Nur stressed. He further called on all international organizations and political parties and the Sudanese people to exert pressure to implement resolutions to end the crisis in Darfur. “Our position is clear and firm with regards to negotiations,” he reiterated.