Sudanese presidential aide and Darfur JEM leader hold closed-door meeting

February 11, 2009 (DOHA) — The Qatari Prime Minister held a closed-door meeting with the Presidential Assistant heading the Sudanese government delegation for the peace talks and the leader of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

Khalil Ibrahim arrived earlier today to Doha on a plane dispatched by the Qatari government. Ibrahim was expected to attend the opening session on Tuesday. But the rebel leader missed it because he had refused to fly from Chad on a Qatari private jet that had to cross Sudan’s airspace, fearing arrest if the plane had to make an emergency landing.

Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabir al-Thani who is also the chairman of the African Union – Arab League Committee to facilitate the talks, held the closed-door meeting on Wednesday evening with Nafi Ali Nafi and Khalil Ibrahim to bridge the differences between the Sudanese parties over a framework agreement that the rebels say would not sign before a deal on building confidence measures.

JEM emphasized that before the talks over the framework agreement, the Sudanese government should release more than 38 rebels detained and sentenced to death after a raid on Khartoum last May. Other confidence-building measures include bringing a halt to harassment of IDPs, a halt of forced repatriation of the displaced, and the cessation of air strikes on civilians.

Speaking to the press today the joint mediator Djibril Bassolé expressed optimism that this round of talks would culminate with the signing of a framework agreement between the stakeholders including a truce.

Qatari State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Mahmud and Bassolé met today separately with the government and rebel delegations to assess the views of the parties about the draft of the framework agreement presented to the parties.

Nafi Ali Nafi said yesterday that they would only discuss a draft of the framework agreement that does not include the release of JEM fighters. Two days ago Khalil Ibrahim told Sudan Tribune that the Doha meeting is “exploratory.” He also rejected the leaked framework document saying it was inaccurate.

Al-Mahmud told reporters in Doha he felt the seriousness of the two parties and their genuine desire to reach peace.

Yasir Arman, the deputy secretary general of the SPLM, who represents his party at the talks with Abdel Aziz Helu, in the government delegation, told reporters that they are focusing their efforts on the reunification of the rebels and seeking to create common grounds between them.

He stressed the need to see other rebel groups joining the Doha process.

The SPLM in the past attempted to reunite the rebel groups but the breakaway groups failed to remain united because they came from different political and ethnical horizons. The founder of the SLM, Abdel Wahid Al-Nur, as well as JEM, declined to take part in SPLM unification efforts.

(ST)