Sudan’s president says Darfur peace document is not negotiable

June25, 2011 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir said that the Doha Peace Document is final and not negotiable and warned that his government will fight the non-signatories of the draft text.

Bashir who will head on Sunday to China, in a first visit after an arrest warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court for his role in the conduct of the governments counter-insurgency campaign in Sudan’s western region, made this statement to the Chinese news agency which published it today.

Sudan and the rebel Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) made some progress this week on the pending files related to the date of the referendum on Darfur’s administrative status, the post of vice-president, and the representation of the rebels in the national parliament during the interim period.

However, the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) called today to maintain the current mediation as the rebel group demands Khartoum to observe the Doha Peace Document which is supposed to serve as basis for talks between the government and the different rebel groups.

“We are now at the final stages of the negotiations. We regard the Doha Peace Document as final and any party that reject to sign this document, we as the government of Sudan, will not recognize or negotiate with it,” Bashir said.

“We will regard it as an outlaw group and we will deal with it on this basis,” he further stressed.

Bashir further disclosed that the government strategy for peace in Darfur includes a military aspect aiming to fight the rebel groups refusing to negotiate with the government, gangs engaged in looting and banditry. He also underlined that Khartoum will also control the pro government militias.

The UN Security Council discussed the peace process with the mediator Djibril Bassolé, Burkina Faso foreign minister and his Qatari partner Ahmed Bin Abdullah Al—Mahmoud. After the meeting, the 15 members announced their support for the Doha Peace Document as basis for talks between the government and rebel groups.

JEM spokesperson Gibreel Adam Bilal welcomed the statements of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council saying they are “identical” to the position of his group.

He further reiterated JEM commitment to the peace process and called to maintain the Joint Chief Mediator Bassole and his partner Al-Mahmoud, to broker the peace talks with the government based on the framework documents adopted by the stakeholders conference.

Khartoum plans to launch an internal process for dialogue between Darfurians after the signing of a peace agreement with the LJM next month. The African Union panel for Sudan has also another process for political dialogue in Darfur.

(ST)