JEM/SLM-Unity confirm they will not attend Sirte talks on Darfur
Oct 26, 2007 — A Joint meeting took place in the Liberated Zone, Darfur, October 26th 07 convened by Dr. Khalil Ibrahim, President of JEM and Mr. Abdalla Yahia Ahmed, Chief Commander of the SLM-Unity Leadership. The meeting was attended by other leaders and military commanders of both JEM and SLM-Unity. The meeting discussed joint position regarding current Darfur Peace Talks in the Libyan town of Sirte and future relationship between the two Movements. Parties to the meeting issued the following statement;
1. Darfur crisis must be resolved through political means whose success demands serious and responsible preparations.
2. JEM and SLM-Unity decide not to attend the current Libyan Talks for the following reasons;
I. Failure of the mediation to identify parties to the Talks.
II. Lack of prior agreement on the parties and approach to the Talks
III. Lack of neutrality of the mediators and their continuous leaning towards Khartoum government. This is evident in the inclusion of groups, known to have been created by Khartoum government. JEM/SLM believe that such an approach will merely repeat the Abuja outcome and prolong suffering of our people in Darfur.
III. The Mediation has given in to the wishes of Khartoum Government and has transformed the Talks into a stage for all while diluting participation of the major parties. Mediators have ignored our demand that credible talks must be restricted to the SLM, JEM and the Government of Khartoum.
3. The two Movements assert that the Sudanese problem in Darfur has political, economic and social dimensions that cannot be deflated.
4. The two Movements assert that our people have been driven into refugee and IDP camps by a government that is steeped in injustice, war crimes and genocides. We assert that our people have so far been forced to remain in the camps because the reasons of their expellant are not addressed and not due to food aid – as naively and insultingly suggested by some circles.
4.The Movements cordially invite the UN-AU Mediation to visit the field (Liberated Zone) for consultation and coordination regarding parties to the Talks, timing, agenda, approach as well as role of the Mediation in the Talks. This is the only way out of further failures and increased suffering in Darfur.
Dr. Khalil Librahim Kohamed
President and Chief Commander of JEM
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Commander Abdalla Yahia Ahmed
President of Interim Revolutionary Council, SLM
Issued: Liberated Zone 26/10/2007