Sudan says Darfur talks continue up to 12 May as JEM refuses time-frame
May 7, 2011 (DOHA) — The Sudanese government delegation to the Doha peace process today said it can continue negotiations with the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) up to 12 May, but later said it rejects any limited frame-time.
Khartoum initially said would stop talks on 7 May. Amin Hassan Omer GOS’s top negotiator said they would not renegotiate issues already discussed with the rebel Liberation and Equality Movement (LJM). JEM, on the other side, stressed no deal would be signed before all pending issues were negotiated.
Burinka Faso foreign minister and chief mediator Djibril Bassole on Saturday held a series of talks with the delegations of the Government of Sudan (GOS) and JEM where he proposed the extension of talks until the 15 May and also to form different panels to discuss simultaneously the pending issues.
“The government delegation agreed, under the insistence of the chief mediator, to extend the talks up to 12 May,” an official of the government delegation told the semi-official SMC. He further said they agreed to form two teams committees to discuss the remaining issues.
The draft peace agreement is negotiated by GOS and LJM delegation since last November, but the parties failed to agree on the administrative status of Darfur and the appointment of a vice-president form Darfur until the submission of the draft peace agreement by the mediation.
JEM agreed on start talks on the basis of texts written by the meditation based on issues discussed by the GOS and LJM. The group accepted three chapters from four submitted by the mediators however they demanded direct talks with the government on these chapters besides the other topics.
Last week the two delegations discussed human rights and individual compensations without achieving tangible progress on the two files. The government accused JEM of obstructing the process.
“We refused today the proposal made by the Burkina Faso foreign minister and chief mediator because this eight-year crisis can not be solved in a week, said Gibreel Adam Bilal, JEM spokesperson, in statements to Sudan Tribune on Saturday.
Gibreel went on to accuse the government of refusing to hold serious talks pretexting that no time to go back on such issues. “Time is used by the government to pressurize us during the meeting,” he emphasized.
He also confirmed that the mediation suggested to form different panels, and to delay the talks on the most difficult issues: power sharing and security arrangements, and to organize separate talks for the after 15 May.
The rebel official said they refuse such pressure stressing that Khartoum has to show its good will to negotiate seriously without seeking to impose a stressful time frame.
“We are committed to the Doha venue and we have been very patient but we have no more concessions to make. At this stage, we have to be more cautious for the cause of Darfur people than the peace forum if it does not allow to realize theirs inspirations,” he said.
JEM also raised, during the meeting with Djibril Bassole, its demand to bring to Doha the remaining delegation members who are in Darfur to discuss the security arrangements and other files.
A stakeholders conference is supposed to be held within ten days on 18 May in Doha, where camps residents, civil society groups and tribal leaders will join the talks besides representatives of international community.
The US envoy for Sudan Princeton Lyman reiterated last week that a durable peace in Darfur requires to involve groups of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) factions led by both Abdel Wahid Al-Nur and Minni Minnawi.
(ST)