Senegal says to persuade Darfur’s rebels to join peace process
August 18, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade said here on Saturday that he would hold more talks with leaders of rebel movements in the western Sudanese region of Darfur to persuade them to join the peace process.
Sudanese Minister of International Cooperation al-Tigani Salih Fedail told reporters following the meeting that the two presidents discussed efforts to bring forward a peaceful solution to the Darfur issue.
Fedail said Wade informed his Sudanese counterpart the outcome of his recent meeting in Paris with Abdelwahid Mohamed Nur, the leader of rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM).
The talks between al-Bashir and Wade also dealt with the ongoing efforts to make the non-signatory parties of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) join the peace process, the Sudanese minister said.
Al-Bashir assured Wade of the Sudanese government’s keenness to reach a comprehensive and lasting solution for the Darfur issue while urging the Darfur rebel movements to unite their negotiating stance, the Sudanese minister added.
Wade pledged to continue his efforts to convince the non- signatory parties of the DPA to join the peace process, adding that he would meet once again with SLM’s Nour in Senegal to complete their talks which began in Paris.
The Sudanese government signed the DPA with Mini Arkou Minawi, the leader of a main faction of SLM, in May 2006.
But Nur, who comes from the biggest tribe in the Darfur region, refused to sign the peace agreement although he had participated in the peace negotiations held in the Nigerian capital of Abuja.
Nur also boycotted a meeting of Darfur rebel movements in Arusha, Tanzania early this month.
(Xinhua)