Washington invites Sudanese parties to meet on Darfur conflict in Sept

Washington invites Sudanese parties to meet on Darfur conflict in September




August 11, 2011 (LONDON) --- U.S. Senior Advisor for Darfur Dane Smith today discussed with the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) ways to energize efforts for peace in Darfur and proposed to hold a Darfur Forum in Washington next September.
U.S. Senior Advisor Dane Smith during a visit to Darfur on 21 March 2011 (US State Department)
The US administration started a series of contacts with the Sudanese parties and international partners to consider the way forward after the signing of a peace agreement between the Sudanese government and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) on 14 July.

Princeton Lymann, US special envoy for Sudan and the Senior Adviser for Darfur Dane Smith during the stakeholders conference held in the Qatari capital last May supported the Doha framework document as a basis for peace in Darfur but asked more talks between the Sudanese government and JEM.

However their efforts for a comprehensive and inclusive peace were rejected by Khartoum which pressed for the signing of a peace agreement with the LJM. Khartoum and JEM failed to resume talks as they came out with two different perceptions of the framework document. The former considers it as untouchable and the latter asks to open all the document for talks .

Smith met on Thursday in London a delegation led by JEM Legislative Council Speaker Tahir El-Faki to discuss the perspectives of peace in Darfur. He also suggested them to participate in Dafur Forum that his administration intends to hold in Washington next September.

The US diplomat said that Washington has no initiative but wants to gather the parties to the conflict to consider what is the next step. The government, JEM, and the two factions of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid Al-Nur and Minni Minnawi will be invited to the gathering.

Also, the State of Qatar which chairs the follow-up committee for peace in Darfur, the Ad Interim Mediator Ibrahim Gambari, and Burkina Faso’s foreign minister and former Joint Chief Mediator will be there besides other international partners.

Since the signing of Doha peace agreement between Sudan and LJM, the government delegation returned to Khartoum after announcing that JEM has three months to join the deal. Sudanese officials also stated that they can only discuss with JEM their political participation in the national and regional institutions and the security arrangements including the fate of its combatants.

The remaining members of JEM delegation will depart Doha on Saturday 14 August. Gambari told them last Saturday that Khartoum refuses their demand to open the document for discussions.

"Dane Smith praised JEM’s keenness to achieve peace in Darfur and keeping its delegation for a month after the signing of a peace deal between Khartoum and LJM," said Gibreel Adam Bilal, JEM spokesperson in a statement released today.

Referring to the recent developments in Sudan particularly the alliance between the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) and Darfur rebels, Smith said the US support such efforts but only when it means to achieve peace not to wage war.

Darfur rebels and the SPLM-N said they are negotiating an alliance to overthrow the government by all means. However, the Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi is mediating between the government and SPLM-N on how the two parties can resume talks over Southern Kordofan conflict.

Darfur follow-up committee which includes the US and the other permanent members of the UN Security Council is expected to meet also in September in Doha to discuss the implantation of Doha peace agreement and the next step towards the other rebel groups.

The void created by the absence of a designated mediator after the resignation of Djibril Bassole presses the international community to keep up their efforts for peace in Western Sudan. The continuation of the current tension in Darfur might be the prelude for a new cycle of violence there and the deterioration of the fragile humanitarian situation.

Smith met on Wednesday in Geneva with aid groups and organizations to discuss "how to support international efforts aimed at creating sustainable opportunities to improve the livelihoods of the Darfuri people while decreasing dependence on humanitarian assistance," said Mark C. Toner a spokesperson of the State Department.

Further, he met delegations at the UN Human Rights Council to discuss the renewal of the mandate of the independent expert.

(ST)