Sudan acknowledges obstacles with Qatari mediation, blast France
January 1, 2009 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government today acknowledged the existence of difficulties with regard to the Qatari mediation efforts on the raging conflict in Darfur.
However the Sudanese diplomat reiterated their commitment to the role of Qatar in mediating the conflict.
The Sudanese foreign ministry official lashed out at France expressing doubt that they are keen to have the political negotiations succeed.
“They promised more than once to pressure Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur [leader of Sudan Liberation Movement faction] to attend peace talks by threatening to expel him” he said.
“They [French] granted Al-Nur political asylum, financial support and facilitated media coverage. He travels to a number of countries at their expense” Al-Sadiq added.
The founder leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur has been residing in Paris for since 2006 under a special residence permit granted by the French government. The permit is renewed every three months.
The Sudanese government has been pressuring France to expel Al-Nur over his refusal to attend the peace talks before the deployment of peacekeepers.
Furthermore the French president Nicolas Sarkozy warned his Sudanese counterpart that he must act on the Darfur conflict or face an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The statements angered Khartoum adding further strains to their relationship.
Al-Sadiq’s statements come amidst complaints by the only major Darfur rebel group to sign a peace agreement that Qatar lack experience to be an effective broker.
The Arab League has authorized Qatar to spearhead efforts to bring Darfur warring parties to the negotiation tables.
The former chief negotiator of Minnawi delegation during the Abuja peace process and the current political secretary of the movement, Abdel-Gabbar Dosa, told Sudan Tribune this week that the Qataris did not meet or exchange views with the Sudan Liberation Movement of Minni Minnawi despite a number of visits the made since last September.
He added that the Qataris who are acting in good faith may need to understand all the aspects of the five year conflict before to proceed.
The independent Al-Akhbar newspaper reported that SLM-Minnawi will propose changing negotiation venues from Qatar to either Libya, Chad, Eritrea or Egypt saying that they are more experienced in Darfur affairs.
Minnawi is scheduled to travel to Cairo next week to discuss the Darfur peace efforts.
UN experts estimate some 300,000 people have died and 2.5 million driven from their homes. Sudan blames the Western media for exaggerating the conflict and puts the death toll at 10,000.
(ST)
DAVID N.
Sudan acknowledges obstacles with Qatari mediation, blast France
Ackonwledgements by Minnawi should go to:
1) Libya= Because they holds power in the regions of Maghreb Sahel trading routes between Mauritania to Darfur in Western Sudan for ancient route.
2) Morocco= It will be good to go from Rabat on the table of Independent Dafuri Crisis, since French is on the table, and Rabat will not put Darfur on colonization by Franch dictatorship on their demands.
3) Algeria= From Southern Independent region of leadership.
4) *ISRAEL= The Darfur should depends every words from ISRAEL… JUST as Ethiopia’s success comes from Yisrael… The JERUSALEM and it’s key role in the Promise Land for Independent Darfur as a nation of the continents of
North African Middle Eastern country.
Since Mauritania and Egypt are only two country presenting themselves from North African Arab country which holds Peace Treaty with ISRAEL and Darfur should learn from it!
Good Luck Darfur!
The Darfuri Independence Referendum in 2011.
INDEPENDENT OF DARFUR as a country!