Egypt, Qatar in silent competition over Darfur talks
July 9, 2009 (KHARTOUM) – The Egyptian government is hosting several Darfur rebel groups in what appears to be a renewed bid to play a growing role in efforts to resolve the conflict in the Sudan’s western region.
Last week senior members of the Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) including its top negotiator Ahmed Tugud Lisan and its intelligence chief Suleiman Sandal held talks with Egyptian officials.
It is expected that the rebel figures will meet with Egyptian spy chief Omer Suleiman, foreign minister Ahmed Aboul-Gheit and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa.
The Kuwaiti based Al-Jarida newspaper quoting unidentified Egyptian officials that Cairo wants to listen to the points of view of the different rebel groups in an attempt to unite their negotiating positions.
The officials said that if Cairo succeeds then they will lay down a formal initiative to convince all rebel groups to join the negotiating table as an alternative to the bilateral talks between JEM and Khartoum in Qatar.
The Sudanese government and Darfur JEM engaged in talks since February sponsored by the Arab Gulf state of Qatar.
An agreement of goodwill and confidence building was signed in February but in late June he talks collapsed over disagreement on implementation of the previous accord. Both sides are scheduled to meet at the end of July.
Egypt has been unhappy about being sidelined in the initiatives on the Darfur crisis as they consider Sudan their own backyard.
The Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul-Gheit had made statements in the past stressing that the Darfur initiative crafted by the Arab league is an Arab one and not owned by one single country.
Earlier this year the Qatari foreign Minister Hamad bin Jasim Al-Thani speaking to Al-Jazeera TV said that his country’s mediation efforts in Darfur are aimed at removing Arab competing forces and settling the crisis internally.
Al-Thani’s statements were understood to be referring to Egypt. Relations between Cairo and Doha are strained over a separate issue of the Palestinian conflict.
Last March Sudan brushed aside an Egyptian proposal for an international conference in Darfur prompting a gradual worsening of relations between the two countries.
The Sudanese president described his country’s relation with Egypt as “neither cold nor warm” in a break of the tradition of asserting the “strategic and long standing” ties with the Northern neighbor.
A second visit by Bashir to Egypt last April was reportedly cancelled.
Al-Jarida newspaper cited Sudanese “informed sources” who accused Egypt of hosting rebel groups to use them as a “pressure card” on the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) at a time of worsening relations between the two countries.
The Qatari state minister for foreign affairs Ahmed Bin-Abdullah Al-Mahmood speaking to reporters today in Khartoum said that there is no coordination with Cairo in this regard and that Libya is playing a vital role in bringing the rebel groups together.
Al-Mahmood has sought to convince Khartoum to release JEM POW’s to break a deadlock faced during the negotiations. JEM stressed that exchanging prisoners is part of the goodwill agreement signed in February.
However Khartoum said it will not release any JEM captives without a ceasefire agreement.
(ST)
Hashim Ali Mohomed
Egypt, Qatar in silent competition over Darfur talks
Its clear that the compition between Qatar Libya and egypt
on sudan Libya with Qatar try to be majorplayer in the regieon and Ithink they will get that they get the money
Libya get the Acses to sudan and to Africa Chad the Europe and U.S.A would like to get Acses to Congo sudan Uganda [OIL/Mineral deposit/ land and water] the strugle is between China and the west who will play the meditor for that of course Egypt consider Sudan as the Back yard as you said but things are changing and the sudan policy must act according to their benefits