JEM make excuses to avoid peace (again)

A major Darfur rebel group threatened on Monday to pull out of discussions with Sudan's government if mediators insisted on inviting other insurgents to negotiate.

JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim criticized joint U.N./African Union mediators on Monday for trying to pull in splinter factions into new negotiations and talking to individuals he said did not represent any real military power on the ground.

"JEM will never be part of these complications. We will never be part of this chaos. We will draw back from this issue," he told Reuters, speaking over satellite telephone.

"If people want to join peace talks, they can join JEM or the government group. There is no third party."

Source:  Reuters, Monday, July 13, 2009 by Andrew Heavens in Khartoum (Editing by Ralph Boulton) - Darfur rebels threaten to boycott "chaotic" talks