Sustainable peace in Darfur must be inclusive – UN chief

October 18, 2010 (MARRAKECH) – UN chief hailed today ongoing efforts to conclude a peace agreement between the Sudanese government and a rebel group in Doha although he stressed the need for an all-embracing agreement for a lasting peace.

Ban Ki-Moon made his remarks after being briefed by the African Union – United Nations Chief Mediator for peace in Darfur Sunday in Morocco. Djibril Bassole informed the secretary General on the progress achieved in Doha between Sudanese government and rebel Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM).

Delegations from the Sudanese government and LJM rebels will meet tomorrow with the joint mediator and the Qatari state minister for foreign affairs to assess progress made in the negotiations and to prepare a final peace agreement.

“The Secretary-General welcomed this progress but stressed that, for the agreement to be sustainable, it had to be all inclusive and address the root causes of the problems,” said a press statement put out by Farhan Haq, the Deputy Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General.

Bassole also discussed with Ban-KiMoon contacts conducted with the rebel groups in the Justice and Equality Movement (LJM) and Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM).

The mediator told Sudan Tribune he seeks to bring JEM and SLM to Doha because without them “peace will remain fragile and unstable”.

He told the UN chief he hoped that the deal under elaboration in Doha “would be endorsed by the groups that have stayed away from the process so far”.

Last August Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon renewed his call for Darfur rebels to participate in the ongoing efforts to end peacefully the seven year conflict in Darfur region.

(ST)