Sudan denies reaching political deal with Darfur’s Minnawi
January 12, 2011 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese government on Tuesday denied reaching a political deal with Minni Minnawi, leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement group on the implementation of a peace agreement signed in May 2006.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the high-level committee on Darfur chaired by President Omer Al-Bashir, Ghazi Salah Al-Deen, who is tasked with the file of the troubled region, dismissed news reports saying the former senior presidential assistant would return to Khartoum on 20 January after a political deal reached recently.
“As a government, we have no idea about his return to Khartoum,” Ghazi said. He further mentioned the absence of direct or indirect contact with Minnawi who is in Juba since several months after his removal from his post at the Sudanese presidency following the general elections.
Talks between Minnawi and the Sudanese government on the implementation of Abjua peace agreement are deadlock on the issue of security arrangements. Sudanese army last month declared Minnawi fighters “legitimate target” and clashed with them several times. Further he was accused of mobilizing troops in southern Sudan.
This month the president of southern Sudan government Salva Kiir said he directed to remove all Darfur rebels from the south.
Gahzi told reporters that Tuesday’s meeting reiterated the need to intensify the work on the ground according to the government’s strategy for Darfur. Also it was agreed to improve the security situation without which no development projects or plans to resettle IDPs can be implemented.
The meeting also agreed to continue the implementation of Abuja peace agreement which should remain the reference in Khartoum policies in Darfur, he said.
Sudanese government delegation to the Doha peace process rejected a package of proposals dealing with four pending issues in the talks with the rebel Liberation and Justice Movement. The most important disputed matters are related to the status of Darfur region and a vice-president post.
However Ghazi denied that the mediation filed any proposals on the region or the vice-presidency. He further disclosed that the Joint Chief Mediator Djibril Bassole would be in Khartoum on 15 January to discuss these pending issues.
Last year, Bassole asked Khartoum to allow the return of the Chairman of Justice and Equality Movement, Khalil Ibrahim, to Darfur; but Ghazi following a meeting with the joint mediator dismissed that Khalil’s return had been part of the talks.
The Sudanese presidential adviser reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the Doha process but stressed that intensifying efforts inside the country to end the conflict is more efficient at the level of the ordinary people.
(ST)