Sudan says ceasefire in Darfur tops Doha agendas

January 21, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan expressed readiness to peace talks with the rebel groups saying the ceasefire agreement will top the agendas of the next round of talks in Doha scheduled for January 24.

Amin Hassan Omer, a state minister for culture and information and member of the government delegation to Darfur peace talks made his remarks after a meeting chaired by Vice-President Ali Osman Taha to discuss the preparations for the upcoming peace talks.

The cease-fire is one of the most important agendas at the forefront of negotiations to come before to engage the second phase to discuss outstanding issues, the Sudanese official told the semi-official SMC.

Amin also stressed that the government does not accept any preconditions from any party, adding they would negotiate with those who attend from Addis Ababa or Tripoli groups or Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

He was alluding to JEM’s demand to exclude the other factions – formed in Tripoli and Addis Ababa — and to limit the negotiations to JEM and the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid Al-Nur (SLM-AW).

In a recent meeting held in Ndjamena organized by the Chadian President with the participation of the chief mediator Djibril Bassole, JEM gave the Sudanese Presidential Adviser a position paper asking to resume talks with the two rebel groups that had been involved in Abuja peace talks.

Sudan has started a normalization process with the neighboring Chad and the two countries will deploy patrols to control their border. Also rebel presence in any side would not be tolerated.

The Sudanese government also said it would negotiate with the rebels based on the resolutions of a consultative conference held last year to end Darfur conflict.

It is not clear whether JEM delegation, currently in Doha, will take part in the talks or would only attempt to convince the mediation with its position. However, the SLM-AW seems reluctant to join the process presently.

(ST)