AL, OIC and UNAMID welcome Sudan-JEM peace agreement

February 21, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — The Arab league(AL), the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and the hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) welcomed today the peace deal signed by Sudanese government and rebel Justice and equality movement in Ndjamena yesterday.

The Sudanese parties are expected to sign a peace agreement in a bid to end the seven year conflict in Darfur on Tuesday in Doha, Qatar. Sudanese President Omer Al-Bashir and his Chadian counterpart Idriss Deby are expected to attend the signing ceremony.

Ndjamena’s framework agreement is a “positive and constructive step towards reaching a settlement for Darfur crisis, especially when the general elections, due to be held in April, became so close, “said Amro Moussa in a statement released in Cairo on Sunday.

OIC Secretary General, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, pointed to the important role played by Chad and the other parties to bridge the gap in viewpoints between the Sudanese government and JEM rebels, following the normalization of relations between Sudan and Chad.

While the hybrid peacekeeping mission said achieving peace in Darfur will enable the UNAMID to implement its mandate and serve the Darfur people. The spokesperson of the Mission also stressed UNAMID readiness to support the concerned parties to implement Ndjamena agreement.

(ST)