UNSC Permanent members meet Darfur rebel leader

Thursday 20 March 2008. March 19, 2008 (GENEVA). The Five permanent members of the UN Security Council met with the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement leader in presence of UN and African Union envoys. Abdel-Wahid al-Nur Abdel Wahid Mohamed Ahmed al-Nur, the founder leader of the rebel SLM held unprecedented meeting with five permanent members of the UN Security Council with the participation of the UN and African Union envoys for Darfur on Tuesday evening in Geneva. The meeting was organized by France, the host country of the rebel leader, in order to allow the rebel leader to express his point of view with regard to the peace process undertaken by the UN-AU envoys to Darfur. Al-Nur has refused to take part in different meetings brokered by the two envoys. The rebel leader told Sudan Tribune that the meeting was meant to explain what the SLM expects from the international and regional communities in order to facilitate a comprehensive peace settlement in the war-torn region of Darfur. “We are very thankful to the French Foreign Ministry and the other permanent members of the Security Council to give us this opportunity because we are peace lover and we want it today before tomorrow.” Al-Nur said. The rebel leader who described the meeting as “very positive” said he exposed the demand of Darfur people for security as prior condition before peace talks. “Our people do not trust this regime which signed two ceasefire agreements but continues to disseminating death and terror among civilians since 2003.” Abdel-Wahid explained that the “Conflict Suspension” is a confidence-building measure and not in any case an obstacle to achieve peace in the region. He further said that asking Khartoum to stop air and ground attacks and to disarm Janjaweed militia are all ready included in cease-fire deals or the peace agreement that Khartoum already signed. “We do not ask the impossible. We encourage Khartoum to implement peace” Al-Nur affirmed. He further said that his “movement (SLM) continues to reiterate the commitment to N’Djamena cease-fire agreement in April 2004 and we demands Khartoum to act reciprocally.” He further condemned the recent attacks by Sudanese army and government backed militia in western Darfur. He added that such violence justifies our rejection for talks with Khartoum unless it stops violence and killing of innocent civilians. Abdelwahid reiterated that once Khartoum fulfils the “Conflict Suspension” the SLM is disposed to engage the “Conflict Resolution” and negotiate with the Sudanese government to discus the root causes of the problem. An western expert who declined to be named said that antagonism and distrust between Darfur main ethnic group, the Fur, and the Sudanese Islamists back to the early nineties when the National Islamic Front started to encourage the settlement of Arab tribes from Chad and ignite troubles between them and other tribes like the Turgam tribe and recruit Zagawah people. He added that root causes of the current conflict in Darfur goes beyond the simple presentation of local intertribal clashes between African and Arab tribes over the control of land and water. Political Maneuver Asked about the call of Khalil Ibrahim, the leader of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), to Sudanese government to hold one-on-one peace talks, Al-Nur said that “Khalil once again demonstrates that he defends another political agenda usurping the Darfuris cause.” The historical leader of the SLM further regretted that the plight of Darfur people used as political pretext to realise “hidden agenda.” Al Nur underlined that “Khalil mentor” the Sudanese Islamist Hassan al-Turabi is negotiating a reconciliation deal “with his former adepts of the National Congress Party (NCP) so it seems that Darfur is part of this deal” he said. Khalil Ibrahim said that JEM is the only rebel group in Darfur and asked Khartoum to discuss with him alone to achieve peace in Darfur. ?