Sudan says no more talks with Darfur rebel groups

December 2, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — Any rebel group that wants a political settlement to Darfur conflict has to join a peace agreement that Khartoum plans to sign with the rebel Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) before the end of this month, Sudanese president declared.

Addressing the political consultative organ of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday President Omer Al-Bashir who is also the NCP chairman, said his party should dedicate its efforts during the upcoming period to deal with the post referendum issues.

“We are with the Mediation and, God willing, we will reach a final agreement before the end of this month we are entering new stages and we want to have a full-time to address other issues that could arise as a result of the referendum,” he said on Thursday.

A delegation of the mediation composed of Qatari state minister for foreign affairs and the Joint Chief Mediator Djibril Bassole concluded a seven-day tour in the country where they met Sudanese president Bashir and his first deputy Salva Kiir Mayadrit. They also visited the three states of Darfur to meet local authorities and civil society.

Minister Al-Mahmoud while in Khartoum expressed the need for more time to finalize a comprehensive peace agreement. He also underlined that the mediation is working with other main rebel groups to join the process in Doha.

The issue also was discussed during a meeting with the president in Khartoum.

The Qatari official who works closely with the joint mediator on the peace process highlighted the signing of a peace agreement in Doha this month implies to find a compromise on the establishment of one region in Darfur as the government refuses to consent to the demand of Darfur rebels and civil society in this respect.

President Bashir urged the members of the NCP Shura Council to consider government’s strategy approved by all agencies and institutions in the country to address the issue of Darfur.

He further stressed that the main objective of this strategy is to restore the file of Darfur inside the country.

“Because the final solution will be in our hands” he said adding “We will find the solution and its foundation is the work we started to implement in the country. Our objective is to reach a final and satisfactory solution for the people of Darfur”.

The Sudanese government announced since this summer a new strategy to end the seven year conflict in Darfur. This strategy aims to domesticate the solution of Darfur crisis through the development and with an important role to be played by the hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and its chief Ibrahim Gambari.

The move was encouraged by the former South African President Thabo Mbeki who heads the AU panel on Darfur. The latter seeks also to play a leading role in this new process in the near future.

Gambari and Mbeki seek to get the approval of the rebel groups and the international community for this plan and to exclude the former Burkina Faso foreign minister and current mediator from the process.

However, it is not clear what Khartoum will do with the friendly Qatari government which is keen to play a leading role in the end of this process. Qatar during the last two year succeeded to get rid of the Egyptian and Libyan interferences and to win the support of the international community.

For his part, Bassole who is supported by the international community, managed to keep in touch with the rebel groups despite their internal rivalries and to win their confidence compared to the former mediators who had been in bad terms with the main rebel groups.

(ST)