Darfur talks to focus on politically important rebel groups – UN
October 10, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — The UN Secretary General special envoy to Darfur disclosed that the forthcoming peace talks in Libya will focus on politically important rebel groups.
The UN envoy made these statements following a meeting with after holding talks with Presidential Assistant, and top negotiator, Nafi Ali Nafi, in Khartoum.
The Sirte negotiations are designed to find a solution to the conflict between rebels, Government forces and allied Janjaweed militia groups. Eliasson and his African Union counterpart Salim Ahmed Salim will convene those talks.
Influential rebel Sudan Liberation Movement leader, Abdelwahid al-Nur, who is boycotting the current peace process, said he will only participate in negotiations if it is limited to SLM and Justice and Equality Movement of Khalil Ibrahim. The two rebel groups that rejected Abuja peace agreement.
Also, the chairman of the rebel JEM threatened to boycott the talks if there are more than three parties: Sudanese government, JEM and a unified SLM delegation.
Eliasson further said that there are some voices in Darfur that must be listened to.
Eliasson also chaired a high-level meeting today with representatives of the regional partners to the talks, including Ali Triki, Libya’s Minister for African Affairs.
During his current visit to the region Eliasson has also met the leaders of some Darfurian Arab tribes to brief them on the preparations. Earlier this week in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Salim and Eliasson co-chaired a two-day meeting with the Joint AU-UN Mediation Support Team.
More than 200,000 people have been killed and another 2.2 million forced to flee their homes across Darfur, an arid and impoverished region, because of fighting that has raged since 2003. Some 4 million Darfurians now depend on humanitarian aid.
(ST)