Sudan reaffirms confidence in Qatari initiative

December 17, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudanese government today renewed its confidence in the ongoing Qatari efforts to bring peace in the war-torn region of Darfur and expected that talks would take place during the next month of January.

Samani Al-Wasila, Sudanese minister of state for foreign affairs on Wednesday told the Sudanese parliament that the government has fully mandated its delegation to conclude a final peace agreement with the rebel movements. He further expressed Sudan’s satisfaction with the arrangements made by the State of Qatar to ensure the success of the negotiations and to provide it with the required regional and international support.

The Sudanese official further pointed out the contacts undertaken by the Qatari officials with all parties involved in the five year conflict including the leaders of rebel movements. He added that all these moves allowed the host country to have a complete vision of the conflict and enable it to launch the peace process with success.

On September 9, the Arab foreign ministers council formed a ministerial body co-chaired by the Qatari Prime Minister, Hamad bin Jasim, Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Jean Ping and Arab League Secretary General Amr Musa. The committee is charged with the organisation and sponsorship of peace negotiations between the Sudanese government and the rebel movements. Qatar has been chosen to host the peace talks.

France, Britain and the United States as well as the United Nations announced their support to the Qatari sponsorship of the talks. They also underscored the importance of the role played by the joint peace mediator Djibril Bassolé.

Wasila also said that the Sudanese delegation is ready to leave for Doha, the Qatari capital, and take part in the talks when a date is announced by the sponsors. He also called on the rebel movements to participate in the expected negotiations with “open hearts and clear views” in order to reach a solution to the Darfur crisis.

The main rebel movements who were opposed in a first time to the Qatari initiative met with the sponsors and pledged to study the proposed mediation without giving their formal acceptance to the proposed talks.

The Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid Al-Nur had been sceptical about the nature of the Qatari move which came after the indictment of the Sudanese president by the International Criminal Court last July.

The main rebel groups also, besides their demands for conducive environment, want to know first if the mediation is going to invite all the splinter groups to the negotiating table, they also ask to be associated in the determination of agenda and the procedural aspects of the talks.

(ST)