JEM still to determine its stance on Qatari initiative for peace in Darfur

November 8, 2008 (LONDON) — The Justice and Equality Movement reiterated it has not taken yet a definitive position on the Qatari initiative to hold peace talks between the Sudanese parties in the six year conflict. However the rebel group said studying it.

The Qatari State Minister for Foreign Affair Ahmed Bin Abdalla Al- Mahmoud met with JEM chairman Khalil Ibrahim, in a location close to the border with Chad on Thursday November 6. The meeting discussed the initiative and JEM point of view over the talks.

Ahmed Hussein Adam, JEM spokesperson, reaffirmed the commitment of his movement to the peace process in order to end the ongoing armed conflict with the Sudanese government in Darfur. Nonetheless, he pointed out the lack of seriousness from the Sudanese government.

“Peace is our strategic choice but we should admit that the National Congress Party is not serious or ready to reach a political agreement on the issue,” said Adam who added that a Sudan’s People Forum is best illustration of this lack of determination.

Khartoum held a national consultation on Darfur crisis with the participation of some opposition parties. The resolution of this meeting would be announced next week.

Further the rebel spokesperson said that JEM leadership has informed the Qatari minister of its attachment to the role that the joint chief mediator, Dijbril Bassolé, has to play in the peace process.

Despite the international and regional support, the Qatari government has failed to convince the rebel groups of its neutrality.

Minister Al-Mahmoud informed the rebel chief that his government plans to organise a general conference for the civil society and the tribal chiefs. Khalil Ibrahim indicated that he can consider the conclusions of this conference at the peace negotiations but told the visiting official that JEM would not attend this first step of the talks.

However he stressed that the final and decisive talks should involve only the warring parties, Adam said.

Yesterday the speaker of JEM Legislative Council, El-Tahir El-Faki told Sudan Tribune his movement told the state minister it could resort to engage talks with the Sudanese government. He underlined that such move could only happens if the other rebel groups were unable to fix their differences. He added that such talks have to be under the sponsorship of the international community.

Adam told Sudan Tribune that his would do its utmost to find common ground with the other movement.

He also said that JEM leadership learnt much of the past mediations and hope that mediators do their best to consider the rebel movement as serious partners in the process and associate them in the ongoing preparation of the talks.

JEM and other rebel movements boycotted a conference for peace in Darfur held last year in Libya because they where not associated to the preparations and just told to attend the talks.

Also, the rebel movement had warned against the involvement of the small rebel groups. The invitation of breakaway factions by the former mediators pushed JEM to distance its self from last year talks.

(ST)