Darfur’s Minnawi travels to Egypt as Doha talks makes headway

February 16, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan’s senior presidential assistant Minni Arcua Minnawi will arrive in Cairo today for talks with Egyptian and Arab League officials on the Darfur conflict.

Minnawi’s visit to Egypt as Khartoum Sudan and the Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) prepare to sign an accord detailing a set of confidence-building measures at talks in Qatar.

The Doha talks were boycotted by all other Darfur rebel groups who accuse Qatar of being sympathetic with the Sudanese government.

Minnawi slammed the Qatar talks saying they will be doomed in a manner similar to the 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) signed in Abuja.

“If the Abuja agreement was lacking then what is happening in Qatar is lacking even further….It is a major disaster” Minnawi told a news conference reported by the daily Akhbar Al-Youm.

“The Doha talks is a continuation of the scenario that I mentioned which is based on the claims by Khalil and his people that they are the only [power ] in Darfur and even in all Sudan” he said.

Minnawi signed the DPA with Khartoum and was later appointed as the senior assistant of the Sudanese president in August.

In an interview with Sudan Tribune Minnawi that Qatar among other countries are working to make JEM the major power in Darfur.

Some observers have pointed out that Egypt is uncomfortable with the growing role of Qatar on an issue relating to its Southern neighbor.

The Qatar talks were delayed by one day after a JEM delegation got held up in Cairo for discussions with Egyptian officials.

All previous efforts to bring the Darfur warring parties have failed due to boycott of major rebel groups of JEM and SLM faction led by Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur who lives in exile in France.

(ST)