Chad open for Libyan mediation with Sudan: Deby
May 17, 2008 (NDJAMENA) – Chadian President expressed his readiness to cooperate with Libyan leader effort to defuse tension with Sudan. He also stressed that peace can only be reached through negotiations.
Idris Deby received today the Community of the Sahel and Saharan States (COMESSA) secretary-general, al-Madani al-Azhary who conveyed a message from the Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi to President Idris Deby on the current tension between Sudan and Chad.
Gadhafi stressed on the need to work to for the return of calm between the two neighboring countries — Chad and Sudan — and to avoid exacerbating tension between them.
According to al-Azhary, who is also the personal envoy of the Libyan leader, Gadhafi regretted the recent deterioration between the two countries despite his bold efforts to normalize bilateral ties among them.
He urged the Chadian president to spare no effort to calm the situation in order to avoid direct confrontation between the two countries.
Gadahfi warned that there is an international conspiracy carried out by Africans which work to increase tension. The Libyan leader further said that escalation of tension would harm African interests and would delay the establishment of African unity.
He also said that he had conveyed the same message to Sudanese President Omerr al-Bashir. The COMESSA’s secretary-general who visited Khartoum before his arrival to Chad, said al-Bashir had reassured him that he was willing to cooperate with Gadhafi’s efforts to reconcile between the two states.
(ST)
thomas
Chad open for Libyan mediation with Sudan: Deby
First of all, the fact that the secretary-general of COMESSA is also Gadhafi’s personal envoy means this “mediation” is simply a means to protect Libyan interests.
Secondly, I find this part of Gadhafi’s message Deby (and Bashir too I suppose) telling;
“Gadahfi warned that there is an international conspiracy carried out by Africans which work to increase tension. The Libyan leader further said that escalation of tension would harm African interests and would delay the establishment of African unity.”
Now how is it that an operation by an indigenous movement of liberation (JEM) for a marginalized people by an oppressive regime (Bashir/NCP/NIF/SAF) is an “international conspiracy”? What does Gadhafi know of “African interests” and African Unity? This is not meant to disrespect the Libyan people, they are our African brothers. But Gadhafi only learned of his African brothers when his Arab “brothers” spurned his pleas for unity.
It’s also telling that his envoy visited Khartoum first. Let’s not forget the Chadian-Libyan conflict in the 80’s when the Libyan occupied the Aozou Strip. Where was African unity then your actions led to Habré coming to power, and all the atrocities that came with him? Where was African unity when they supported Khartoum against the SPLA for all these years, behind backs of course. but all this is old news to them I’m sure.