TEXT: Statement of international meeting on Darfur peace process

July 16, 2007 (TRIPOLI) — Below the full text of the communiqué de the second international meeting on Darfur peace process held in Tripoli Libya. The meeting was attended by Britain, Canada, Chad, China, Egypt, Eritrea, France, Italy, Libya, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Arab League and the European Union as well as Sudan.

The second international meeting on the situation in Darfur was convened by the African Union and United Nations Special Envoys in Tripoli, Libya from 15-16 July, 2007. The following states and organizations attended the meeting: Canada, Chad, China, Egypt, Eritrea, France, Italy, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Sudan, United Kingdom, United States, the African Union, the European Union, the League of Arab States and the United Nations.

The Meeting

(i) Took note of the report of the Special Envoy of the African Union and the Special Envoy of the United Nations on the implementation of the Road-map on the political process to resolve the Darfur crisis;

(ii) Reasserted the joint African Union-United Nations lead of the Darfur peace process, in partnership with regional actors, and pledged its unequivocal support and commitment to it. In this connection, the participants noted that the convergence phase of the Road-map has ended and endorsed the beginning of the pre-negotiation phase. They appealed to all Member States of the AU and UN and to other stakeholders to refrain from supporting parallel initiatives outside the AU-UN led process;

(iii) Welcomed the proposal of the Special Envoys to convene a meeting with leading personalities of the non signatory movements in Arusha from 3-5 August 2007 in an effort to facilitate the preparations for negotiations;

(iv) Concluded that invitations for the new round of negotiations should be issued by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, before the end of August 2007. The participants requested the Special Envoys to consult widely with all the relevant stakeholders on the most appropriate date and venue for the talks;

The Meeting also

(v) Expressed appreciation to the Special Envoys for the extensive consultations they have undertaken with Darfurian stakeholders, including signatories and non signatories, civil society, IDPs and tribal leaders, and for their continued dedication and efforts to reach an all-inclusive peace in Darfur.

(vi) Underlined that the current situation in Darfur is dynamic, fragile and evolving rapidly. Participants agreed that there is a need for urgent action to achieve a comprehensive political agreement to end the conflict and the long suffering of the people in Darfur, especially those in the IDP camps and refugees;

(vii) Encouraged the Special Envoys to continue and finalize their consultations with civil society, tribal leaders and representatives of IDPs, refugees and women’s groups in an effort to develop a mechanism to channel their views and positions into the final talks;

(viii) Welcomed the agreement between the United Nations, African Union and the Government of Sudan on the hybrid operation which will also facilitate the political process in view of the complementarity of the political and peace-keeping tracks. The participants also welcomed the assumption of duty of the Joint Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union and of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Darfur, as well as the new Force Commander;

(ix) Expressed continued concern over the prevailing humanitarian situation in Darfur and again strongly urged all parties to facilitate humanitarian access. In this context, the participants welcomed the progress made in implementing the Joint Communiqué signed on 28 March 2007 between the Government of Sudan and the United Nations;

(x) Appealed for the immediate strengthening of the ceasefire mechanisms in Darfur and stressed the need to secure from all the Parties, a recommitment to a full cessation of hostilities as a prerequisite for the renewed political process which will reflect positively on the whole region;

(xi) Welcomed the continued commitment of the DPA signatories to fully support the AU-UN led political process;

(xii) Also welcomed the commitment of the non signatories to fully cooperate with the AU-UN Special Envoys in their efforts to re-energize the peace process;

(xiii) Recognized the regional initiative by Chad, Eritrea and the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in facilitating efforts aimed at bringing cohesion among the non signatory movements in furtherance of the peace process for Darfur;

(xiv) Expressed appreciation to Egypt for its initiatives to further the political process under the AU-UN lead;

(xv) Further expressed appreciation to the wider international community for their active support to the efforts to end the conflict and the suffering of the people in Darfur. Participants appealed to all concerned to ensure that support for the AU-UN led process is consistent, transparent and unambiguous;

(xvi) Renewed the appeals to the international community to consider urgent and appropriate steps for ameliorating the plight of IDPs in Darfur and refugees within the region. In this regard, the participants stressed the need to focus on developmental initiatives that will bring peace dividends on the ground in Darfur, including in particular, finalizing preparation for reconstruction and development, return of IDPs to their villages, compensation and appropriate security arrangements;

(xvii) Urged all the parties, particularly the non signatory movements, to finalize their preparations for the renewed talks;

(xviii) Emphasised that any hindrance to the political process would be addressed through appropriate measures by the UN Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council;

(xix) Expressed gratitude to the Leader of the Revolution and to the Libyan people for hosting the second international meeting on the situation in Darfur and for the hospitality extended to the participants.

Tripoli
16 July 2007