Diplomats say Judges approve Bashir arrest warrant - UN chief knows of ICC decision to indict Sudan's president over Darfur?

According to several news reports copied here below, UN diplomats and officials say judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have decided to indict Sudan's president for war crimes in Darfur.

Officials say on the condition of anonymity that the court will issue an arrest warrant for Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir. They say the decision will be made public later this month.

It is not clear whether the Hague-based court will indict him on all 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes brought by the court's chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo.

A report (copied here below) in this morning's New York Times says the ICC decision to issue a warrant against Sudan's president has been conveyed to the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, and is expected to be formally announced at the court, officials at the United Nations said.



Photo: Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, center, at the 12th African Union Summit in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, Feb. 4, 2009. (Antony Njuguna/Reuters/NYT)

From New York Times, United States
Judges Approve Warrant for Sudan’s President
By MARLISE SIMONS and NEIL MacFARQUHAR
Published: February 11, 2009

THE HAGUE — Judges at the International Criminal Court have decided to issue an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan, brushing aside diplomatic requests to allow more time for peace negotiations in the conflict-riddled Darfur region of his country, according to court lawyers and diplomats.

It is the first time the court has sought the detention of a sitting head of state, and it could further complicate the tense, international debate over how to solve the crisis in Darfur.

Ever since international prosecutors began seeking an arrest warrant last year, opponents have pressed the United Nations Security Council to use its power to suspend the proceedings. But a majority of Council members have argued that the case should go forward, saying Mr. Bashir has not done enough to stop the bloodshed to deserve a reprieve.

Many African and Arab nations counter that issuing a warrant for Mr. Bashir’s arrest could backfire, diminishing Sudan’s willingness to compromise for the sake of peace. Others, including some United Nations officials, worry that a warrant could inspire reprisal attacks against civilians, aid groups or the thousands of international peacekeepers deployed there.

The precise charges cited by the judges against Mr. Bashir have not been disclosed. But when the court’s chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, first requested an arrest warrant in July, he said he had evidence to support charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide related to a military campaign that “purposefully targeted civilians” and had been “masterminded” by Mr. Bashir.

Lawyers familiar with the case said the court had already sought to freeze the president’s assets but had found his possessions to be hidden behind other names.

The decision to issue a warrant against him, reached by a panel of judges in The Hague, has been conveyed to the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, and is expected to be formally announced at the court, officials at the United Nations said.

The prosecutor became involved in the case after the Security Council asked him to investigate the conflict in Darfur, where massacres, disease and starvation have led to the deaths of up to 300,000 people and driven millions from their homes.

Although there has been sporadic fighting in Darfur for decades, the conflict significantly intensified in 2003, when rebel groups demanding greater autonomy for the region attacked Sudanese forces. The Arab-led government responded with a ferocious counterinsurgency campaign, which the court’s prosecutor called a genocidal strategy against Darfur’s black African ethnic groups.

Relations between Mr. Ban and Mr. Bashir continue to be strained by Sudanese government actions in Darfur and by Mr. Ban’s refusal to deal with Mr. Bashir directly.

But on Sunday the two men had an unscheduled encounter at a summit meeting in Ethiopia. Diplomats described it as “a stormy meeting” and “a shouting match” in which Mr. Bashir vented his anger at the court, though it is independent of the United Nations. Mr. Ban, in turn, insisted on the safety of United Nations staff members and peacekeepers, and demanded that Mr. Bashir stop the attacks on civilians.

The prospect of an arrest warrant for Mr. Bashir has already caused a diplomatic rift, with the African Union and members of the Arab League asking the Security Council to exercise its right to postpone any moves against the president for a year, arguing that he might still help bring a settlement in Darfur. Once an arrest warrant is issued, the Council can request that it be postponed.

There is broad concern that removing Mr. Bashir from power could threaten a landmark peace treaty between the Sudanese government and rebels in the southern part of the country. The treaty was signed in 2005 to end a civil war in which 2.2 million people died, far more than in Darfur.

Mr. Bashir fought members of his own party to approve that peace deal, and it is widely seen as critical to holding the country together.

On Wednesday, the Sudanese ambassador to the United Nations, Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem, dismissed the court’s decision as “not deserving the ink used to print it.” The ambassador accused the court of being a political tool of mostly Western powers that want to fragment Sudan.

Mr. Abdalhaleem contended that in separate talks at the United Nations last fall with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and top European officials, Sudan was promised that Western powers would support a suspension of the prosecution if the country cooperated with United Nations peacekeeping efforts, pursued peace talks and more aggressively pursued war criminals.

“We are moving on all those tracks,” he said, though human rights groups and diplomats disagree.

A top United Nations official said Mr. Ban’s advisers were now struggling to forge a policy that supports the court’s pursuit of justice but avoids wrecking Sudanese cooperation with the complex missions there.

The court has issued two other arrest warrants in connection with the Darfur conflict, one for a former government minister, Ahmad Harun, and another for Ali Kushayb, a leader of a government-backed militia. Neither has been arrested.

The prosecutor has also accused three rebel leaders of the killing of 12 African Union peacekeepers. They have said publicly that they will surrender to the court.

Marlise Simons reported from The Hague, and Neil MacFarquhar from the United Nations.

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FURTHER REPORTS:

From Reuters Wed Feb 11, 2009 7:45pm EST by Louis Charbonneau - excerpt:
ICC to indict Sudan's Bashir over Darfur-diplomats

Judges at the International Criminal Court have decided to indict Sudan's president for war crimes in Darfur and issue a warrant for his arrest, U.N. diplomats and officials said on Wednesday.

"The ICC decided it wants him arrested," a diplomat at the United Nations told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Some U.N. officials also said they understood that to be the decision by the ICC, based in The Hague. They said it had been widely expected and would be made public later this month. [...]

An ICC spokeswoman declined to comment, saying the decision was in the hands of the judges. It was not immediately clear whether Bashir had been indicted on all 10 counts of genocide and other war crimes listed by the prosecutor or just some of them.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's office has not been notified by the ICC of its decision, although he expects to receive some form of notification before the end of the month, diplomats and U.N. officials said.

Sudan has ruled out handing over Bashir or two other Sudanese citizens previously indicted by the court for suspected war crimes in Darfur.

Khartoum has said it would continue cooperating with U.N. peacekeepers in Sudan even if Bashir is indicted, but has warned there may be widespread demonstrations of public outrage.

'DIFFICULT SITUATION'

Britain's Africa minister, Mark Malloch Brown, spoke to reporters on Tuesday as if an ICC indictment of Bashir had already been decided. He also expressed the hope the fragile peace process would continue.

"We will face a very difficult situation after this indictment, and I just hope people of goodwill will go on trying to find ways forward," Malloch Brown said.

Sudan's U.N. ambassador, Abdalmahmoud Abdalhaleem, dismissed the decision of the court.

"It will mean nothing to us and doesn't deserve ink with which it is written," he told Reuters. "We will never be shaken by this criminal attempt to pollute our political life and sabotage our efforts for development and peace."

Some U.N. officials worry the Sudanese government might encourage reprisals against international peacekeepers. Ban said on Tuesday that Bashir and his government must "react very responsibly and ensure safety of (U.N.) peacekeepers."

The secretary-general met Bashir on the sidelines of an African Union summit in Addis Ababa last week.

U.N. officials said blue helmet peacekeepers in Darfur had no mandate to act on ICC arrest warrants in Sudan but would go about their business of protecting civilians there. (Editing by Peter Cooney)

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From Times Online Thursday, 12 February 2009
International Criminal Court sets sights on Sudan's Omar al-Bashir:

The International Criminal Court is to issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir over the alleged genocide in Darfur, according to reports.

The move by a panel of judges in The Hague marked the first time that the world's first independent, permanent tribunal on war crimes has sought the detention of a sitting head of state since it began its work in 2002.

According to The New York Times, precise charges cited by the judges against Mr al-Bashir had not been disclosed.

Last year, ICC's chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo asked the court for an arrest warrant for Mr al-Bashir on 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur.

Mr Moreno-Ocampo said last year a military campaign that "purposefully targeted civilians" had been "masterminded" by Mr al-Bashir.

UN officials said the decision on the warrant was communicated to UN chief Ban Ki-moon and was expected to be formally announced at the court in the coming days.

A majority of Security Council members have argued that the case against Mr al-Bashir should go forward, saying he has not done enough to stop the bloodshed in Darfur to deserve a reprieve.

Japan's UN Ambassador Yukio Takasu, the president of the Security Council this month, said: "The council has not been informed yet."

Many African and Arab nations counter that issuing a warrant for Mr al-Bashir's arrest could backfire, diminishing Sudan's willingness to compromise for the sake of peace, The New York Times reported. Others, including some UN officials, worry that a warrant could inspire reprisal attacks against civilians, aid groups or the thousands of international peacekeepers deployed there, the paper said.

Lawyers familiar with the case told the paper the court had already sought to freeze the president's assets but had found his possessions to be hidden behind other names.

Sudan's UN Ambassador Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad said yesterday: "We have not been told about this but it would not be a surprise to us. It does not concern us."

According to the United Nations, 300,000 people have died and more than 2.2 million have fled their homes since rebels in Darfur rose up against the Khartoum government in February 2003. Sudan puts the death toll at 10,000.

Although there has been sporadic fighting in Darfur for decades, the conflict intensified in 2003, when rebel groups demanding greater autonomy for the region attacked Sudanese forces. The Arab-led government responded with a ferocious counterinsurgency, which the court's prosecutor called a genocidal strategy against Darfur's black African ethnic groups.

On Tuesday, Mr Ban urged Khartoum to act "very responsibly" if an arrest warrant is issued for Mr al-Bashir.

The UN chief told a press conference that whatever decision the ICC reached, "it will be very important for President al-Bashir and the Sudanese government to react very responsibly and ensure the safety and security'' of UN peacekeepers (in Darfur) and protect the human rights of the population".

In Washington, the Save Darfur Coalition, an alliance of more than 180 US faith-based, advocacy and human rights organisations, said UN member states must not continue "to do business as usual with al-Bashir once he is an indicted war criminal".

"At a minimum, countries should not allow him to travel to their territory and should limit diplomatic interaction with him in Khartoum to efforts to end the crisis in Darfur and bring peace to all of Sudan," it said.

The group said the Sudanese government should be warned that it would be "held responsible for any pre-emptive or retaliatory action against civilians, humanitarian aid workers, or UN and African Union peacekeeping forces."

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From Deutsche Welle, Germany 12 February 2009 - excerpt:
Reports: ICC Issues Arrest Warrant for Sudanese President

The New York Times and Reuters news agency, citing court lawyers and diplomats, reported Wednesday, Feb. 11, that the International Criminal Court in The Hague would seek the arrest of Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

The court has notified United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki- moon that a warrant will be issued, officials at UN headquarters told the Times.

The move has been widely expected by UN insiders and would be made public later this month, Reuters reported.

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From Voice of America by VOA News Thursday, February 12, 2009
International Court To Indict Sudan's President



Photo: Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, left, is flanked by African delegates as he attends a Turkey-Africa Cooperation meeting in Istanbul (AP File/VOA)

U.N. diplomats and officials say judges at the International Criminal Court have decided to indict Sudan's president for war crimes in Darfur.

Officials say on the condition of anonymity that the court will issue an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir. They say the decision will be made public later this month.

It is not clear whether the Hague-based court will indict him on all 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes brought by the court's chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo.

On Tuesday, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Sudan must cooperate fully with whatever decision the court makes and should ensure the safety of U.N. peacekeepers and civilians in the country.

Sudan has rejected the court's authority. Sudanese officials say the safety of peacekeepers in Sudan is not in jeopardy, buy they say authorities cannot control public outrage if an arrest warrant is issued for the president.

The developments come as a key Darfur rebel group holds peace talks in Qatar with the Sudanese government. The rebels from the Justice and Equality Movement accused Sudan's government Wednesday of undermining the talks by allowing army troops to advance towards rebel positions on the ground in Darfur.

Also Wednesday, key members of the U.S. Congress urged the Obama administration to quickly focus on the situation in Sudan and to appoint a presidential envoy to the country. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom also called on the administration to help Sudanese leaders implement a fragile peace deal that ended years of fighting between the Khartoum government and southern rebels.

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From Aljazeera.net, Qatar by Al Jazeera and agencies February 12, 2009:
Sudan dismisses Bashir arrest move

Photo: Prosecutors want al-Bashir indicted for orchestrating a "genocide" in Sudan's western Darfur region [AFP]

Sudan's ambassador to the UN has vowed his country will not co-operate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) amid reports it has issued an arrest warrant for Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president.

His comments came after an unnamed diplomat at the UN told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday that the ICC had "decided it wants [al-Bashir] arrested".

The New York Times newspaper also earlier reported prosecutors had evidence that al-Bashir had committed war crimes in the country's conflict-ridden Darfur region.

But Abdalmahmoud Abdalhaleem, Sudan's envoy to the UN, told Al Jazeera any arrest warrant against al-Bashir "means nothing to us".

"We are not going to be surprised if this decision is issued today or tomorrow or if it has already been issued," he said.

"Because we know this court is a political court, a politically motivated decision, it will never bother us at all. It means nothing to us. We are in no way going to co-operate with this decision."

'Co-operation' call

ICC prosecutors said last year that they had evidence that al-Bashir had committed war crimes, but the precise charges against the president have not been disclosed.

"We are in no way going to co-operate with this decision" - Abdalmahmoud Abdalhaleem,  Sudan's envoy to the UN

It would be the first time the ICC has sought the detention of a sitting head of state since it was established in 2002.

Al Jazeera's Kristen Saloomey said the UN secretary-general's office had said it had not been notified of any ICC decision and declined to comment.

But Ban Ki-moon, the UN chief, had on Tuesday urged the Sudanese leader to co-operate with the ICC if a warrant is issued.

"He [Bashir] should fully co-operate with whatever decisions the ICC makes," Ban told reporters at the UN headquarters.

'Genocide' rejected

But Abdalhaleem dismissed the ICC as a "hostage to the political will of some powers on the [UN] Security Council".

"If the secretary-general wants us to believe that the court is independent, then he should stop becoming its spokesperson," he said.

Last year Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the chief ICC prosecutor, asked the court's judges to indict al-Bashir for orchestrating what he described as a campaign of genocide in Sudan's western Darfur region in which 35,000 people were killed in 2003 alone.

UN officials say at least 2.5 million were left homeless and have put the death toll as high as 300,000.

Sudan has rejected the use of the term genocide and said 10,000 people died.

The Sudan government has said that it would continue co-operating with UN peacekeepers in the country even if al-Bashir is indicted, but has warned there may be widespread demonstrations of public outrage.

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UPDATE THURSDAY, 12 FEBRUARY 2009
See Sudan Watch Thursday, February 12, 2009 New York Times & Reuters were misinformed? ICC says no arrest warrant yet for Sudan's President Al-Bashir (Update 1)

UN/AU mediator Djibril Bassole says a cease-fire will be announced between JEM and Sudan government

February 11, 2009 report from Associated Press (DOHA, Qatar):

Mediator says Darfur cease-fire close

Darfur's most powerful rebel group and the Sudanese government are close to declaring a cease-fire, the U.N. and African Union mediator said Wednesday.

Word from the two warring sides, however, was less optimistic. A spokesman for the rebels accused government forces of advancing toward the group's positions in Darfur even as the talks were under way, and a Sudanese government minister played down the meeting as «preparatory, no more, no less.

A cease-fire between the government and the rebels of the Justice and Equality Movement would be a significant step in easing fighting in Darfur, where rebel groups complaining of discrimination and neglect took up arms against the government in 2003. The six years of fighting has left 300,000 people dead and 2.7 million displaced, according to U.N. figures.

Previous cease-fires have been short-lived. A 2006 peace agreement had limited impact because it was signed by only one rebel group, and the last round of peace talks collapsed in 2007.

The chief mediator at the talks taking place in the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar said a cease-fire could be announced as early as Wednesday.

"A cease-fire will be announced ... between JEM and the government," the mediator, Djibril Bassole, said in a statement released to reporters.

The Justice and Equality Movement is the strongest and most effective of the many Darfur rebel groups. In May, its fighters launched a brazen military assault on the outskirts of Sudan's capital, Khartoum, in the first attack by Darfur rebels on the seat of government.

More recently, the government has been battling the group for control of a town in southern Darfur.

Bassole said mediators were hopeful that an agreement involving the group would encourage other rebel movement's to enter into peace talks.

However, a spokesman for the Justice and Equality Movement who was in Qatar for the talks, Ahmed Hussein, said government troops were moving toward the group's positions east of Jebel Marrah, a region of central Darfur. He said that was a sign the government is not serious about making peace.

Sudanese Culture Minister Amin Hassan Omar acknowledged "hostilities" were still taking place.

"As long as there is no agreement between the two parties there cannot be an order to the armed forces to stop the fighting," said Omar, who was also attending the talks in Qatar's capital, Doha.

He described the talks as «preparatory, no more, no less.

Speaking by phone from Sudan, Noureddine Mezni, a spokesman for Darfur's U.N. and African Union peacekeepers, could not confirm the rebel group's claims of a government advance.

The Justice and Equality Movement was the only rebel group attending the peace talks in Doha, which began Tuesday.

The leader of the absent Sudanese Liberation Movement, Abdelwahed Elnur, characterized the Qatar meeting as an attempt to rescue Sudan's president, who has been accused by a prosecutor for the International Criminal Court of genocide and war crimes in Darfur.

Qatar's prime minister, Sheik Hamad bin Jassem Al Thani, was presiding over talks in Doha, along with officials from the African Union, the Arab League and the joint U.N.-AU mediator.

At Darfur Peace Talks in Doha, JEM rebels set conditions for agreement

February 11, 2009 report from Al-Hayat, London:

The Darfur rebel Justice and Equality Movement yesterday presented its demands for a framework agreement with the Sudan government at bilateral talks in Qatar.

The demands include: preserving the military force of the organization until a final peace agreement is signed; disbanding the pro-government militias and removing them from Darfur; participation in the Sudanese government; and the elimination of Darfur's partition into provinces.

Movement representative Jibril Ibrahim said that the negotiations with the government did not mean concessions on Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir's status in the International Criminal Court.

Sudanese government representative Nafi' Ali Nafi' expressed a positive view of the draft of the agreement submitted to the sides.

(hat tip The Memri Blog)

UNAMID reported influx of 3,000 IDPs at Zam Zam Camp in North Darfur

More than 3,000 people have arrived at the Zam Zam camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) near El Fasher in North Darfur, in recent days. Many came from the area around the South Darfur town of Muhajeriya, the scene of recent fighting between Government forces and rebels.

As of yesterday, the total number of new individuals who have arrived at Zam Zam Camp - either by truck or by donkey - stands at 3,054 from 878 households, with a particularly large influx on 8 and 9 February.

The people arriving by donkey hail mostly from Abu Dangal, 30 km west of Shearia in South Darfur and other small villages, while people arriving on trucks are coming from Muhajeriya town, according to the leaders of the new arrivals.

Source: Report from United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (El Fasher) 10 February 2009 - Sudan: Influx of IDPs At Zam Zam Camp in North Darfur.

2580 Eritreans sought political asylum in Sudan this year and are being housed in Shegraib refugee camp

The department of information and culture of the Eritrean People’s Party (EPP) said that hundreds of Eritreans continue to flood into the Sudan.

In a statement issued yesterday, EPP indicated that 550 Eritreans fled to Shegraib refugee camp in Sudan in the first week of February alone. Some 64 children under 6 years of age and 181 women are among the Eritreans who flee their country in the period reported, the statement said.

Since the beginning of this year, 2580 Eritreans have sought political asylum in Sudan. They are being housed in Shegraib refugee camp, it was learnt.

Source: Feb. 11, 2009 report from Walta Info - Eritreans continue fleeing to Sudan.

JEM say Sudan forces advancing towards their positions in east Jebel Mara area

Wed Feb 11, 2009 Reuters report by Andrew Heavens in Khartoum - excerpt:

Darfur rebels says Sudan advance undermines talks

Darfur rebels accused Sudanese government forces on Wednesday of advancing towards their positions and undermining peace talks that began in Qatar a day earlier.

Ahmed Hussein Adam, a spokesman for the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), one of the main Darfur rebel factions, said the group was not pulling out of talks for now.

"We are studying the situation closely. We have contacted the mediators. We will see what takes place in the coming hours," he said by telephone, adding that the Sudanese forces were advancing in the east Jebel Mara area.

There was no immediate comment from the army.

The talks in Qatar are the first since 2007 between the government and JEM, which launched an unprecedented attack on Khartoum last year and has been involved in a recent upsurge of fighting.

Other factions have said the talks in Qatar will fail because they are not all included.[...]

ICC's new blog "In Situ" - On Darfur, Libya vows opposition to UK Draft

The ICC has a new blog, "In Situ," described as an "endeavor to help bridge the gap between populations affected by the crimes under the Court's investigation and the ICC's daily activities at its headquarters in The Hague.

Source: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 report from Inner City by Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN:

On Darfur, Libya Vows Opposition to UK Draft As ICC Is Celebrated with Warm Beer, Backwash of Good Intentions

The United Kingdom circulated a draft Darfur statement Tuesday afternoon in the Security Council. Libya immediately denounced it, for failing to include a suggested paragraph noting the African Union's call on the Council to suspend the International Criminal Court's proceedings against Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir. A Libya delegate told Inner City Press that Uganda and Burkina Faso are solidly behind the paragraph, but that Russia and China had been surprisingly quiet in the consultations.

Hours later, just across First Avenue from the UN, a celebration of the ICC features a jazz trio, cold Heineken beer and Philippe Kirsch, the retiring ICC president. Kirsch had without explanation cancelled his scheduled media availability on Tuesday afternoon. A human rights watcher in the half-light explained that as a judge, Kirsch felt it better not to speak. But why then was it scheduled? The watcher, told that the controversy around the impending indictment of Bashir was already gumming up the Council's day to day work of issuing statements of outrage many days after military actions, blamed it on the Libyans.

But they are only asking for recognition of the position of the African Union, which they now head up. The watcher said, not all AU countries feel the same. But while not all European Union countries totally agree with that Union's position, once it is adopted, the members follow it. But when Africans follow suit, they are called irresponsible.



Photo: ICC's Kirsch, blog description of Moreno-Ocampo's controversies not shown

Distributed at the Coalition for the ICC's event -- an annual celebration, the watcher pointed out -- was a flyer for a new pseudo-grassroots blog, "In Situ," described as an "endeavor to help bridge the gap between populations affected by the crimes under the Court's investigation and the ICC's daily activities at its headquarters in The Hague... opening blog discussion on the Court's first trial in the case of The Prosecutor vs. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo."

But will the blog describe how the attempt to screen the Lubanga trial in the DR Congo results in rioting, and push back from Lubanga's group? Will the activities in the Hague include the controversies surrounding Luis Moreno Ocampo, the prosecutor? In the half-light, with soft jazz, there was only the backwash of good intentions.

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From Inner City Press by Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN February 10, 2009:

Darfur Statement Blocked in UN Council By Bashir Indictment Language

The politics of war crimes charges against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir are now blocking passage of a statement about Darfur in the UN Security Council, sources tell Inner City Press. The United Kingdom drafted a so-called Presidential Statement about the stand-off around the South Darfur town of Mahajiriya. But the Council's three African members, supported by Russia and China, proposed including a paragraph taking note of the African Union's position that the International Criminal Court's proceedings against Bashir should be suspended.

France, the Council sources say, called this paragraph controversial. The UK made a direct bilateral outreach to China, asking they back down on the paragraph. The Chinese mission to the UN reportedly said that their instructions from Beijing were to follow, and insist on a Council reference to, the African Union. The UK draft PRST, the sources say, is dead.

UN's Ban and Sudan's al-Bashir: can these meetings continue?

Ban Ki-moon was asked on Tuesday if he would meet with Bashir if he is indicted. While this question must already be answered, Ban said he would wait and get advice from his top lawyer Patricia O'Brien. An African diplomat told Inner City Press, "Ban couldn't stop meeting with Bashir, he has two peacekeeping missions there." For now...

The International Criminal Court's president Philippe Kirsch had been slated to take questions from the Press on Tuesday at 4:25, but midday Tuesday the stakeout chance was cancelled. ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo is said to be in New York -- but where? And why? Some say it is not only about Bashir, but also to fight against a proposal, at the ICC members' February 12 meeting, to establish an office to oversee his and the Court's work, based on this document. Watch this site.

South Sudan disarmament begins

Southern Sudan is trying to recover from decades of war. Report from BBC Tuesday, 10 February 2009:

South Sudan disarmament begins

The world's biggest operation to demobilise soldiers and militias has started in Sudan, the UN says.

Some 180,000 men, women and children who fought in the civil war between north and south are to return to civilian life over the next four years.

The demobilisation was agreed under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in 2005 to end the 21-year conflict.
It was officially launched in Blue Nile State with the disarmament of 15 adults and is now to be rolled out elsewhere.

BBC Sudan correspondent Amber Henshaw says some critics have questioned the whether there is sufficient political will to see the reintegrate ex-soldiers and militias through.

The north-south conflict cost an estimated 1.5 million lives and ended in the setting up of an autonomous secular government in the south.

Politicians representing the north and south are now in a fragile power-sharing coalition government.

As part of the 2005 deal, nationwide elections are due to take place this year, to be followed in 2011 by a referendum on whether the south should secede.

Darfur rebels pour scorn on new Sudan talks in Doha, Qatar

Tue Feb 10, 2009 7:11am EST Reuters report by Andrew Heavens, Khartoum:

Darfur factions pour scorn on new Sudan talks

Darfur factions poured scorn on new talks between Sudan's government and a single rebel group on Tuesday, saying the meeting would fail because it excluded other movements.

Discussions between Sudan's government and Darfur's powerful rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) started in Qatar on Tuesday morning, the first time the warring sides have officially sat down together since 2007.

Officials present said both sides made opening statements saying they would discuss confidence-building measures that could pave the way to full peace negotiations.

But the criticisms from other Darfur factions underlined the huge challenge facing mediators trying to end Darfur's conflict involving government troops and an increasingly fractious array of rebels, militias, bandits and tribal groups.

Minni Arcua Minnawi, the only rebel to sign a troubled peace deal with the government in the Nigerian city of Abuja in 2006, told reporters the new Qatar talks would be "a major disaster".

"If the Abuja agreement was lacking then what is happening in Qatar is lacking even further," said Minnawi.

The 2006 accord is widely believed to have failed because no other groups signed it.

Suleiman Jamous, a senior member of the rebel Sudan Liberation Army's Unity faction said Khartoum and mediators had mistakenly concluded JEM was the biggest rebel group in Darfur.

"The government has ignored the other groups....It will be the same as what happened with Minnawi," he told Reuters.

The head of the insurgent United Resistance Front faction Bahar Idriss Abu Garda said the sole involvement of JEM proved mediators behind the talks were not impartial. "How can you be neutral and call one movement for negotiations," he said.

The Qatar talks have already been dismissed by SLA founder Abdel Wahed Mohamed Ahmed al-Nur, who is refusing to negotiate before the end of violence in Darfur.

JEM DEFENCE

JEM defended its presence. "We are the only people who are engaged militarily or politically with the government in terms of opposing the regime," said spokesman Ahmed Hussein Adam.

"If these people are ready for peace, we are ready for peace. But if they are not, our options are open."

JEM has launched a number of headline-grabbing campaigns in Darfur, attacking Khartoum in May and seizing one of Minnawi's strongholds in south Darfur last month.

Adam added JEM's leader Khalil Ibrahim was planning to fly from Chad to Doha later on Tuesday to attend the discussions as "a gesture of good will".

Adam said JEM would pull out of the session if there was any sign that Khartoum was using the talks to deflect a looming International Criminal Court war crimes case against Sudan's president.

The chief prosecutor of the global court has asked judges to issue an arrest warrant against Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, accusing him of masterminding genocide in Darfur.

The court's judges are expected to rule on his request in the coming weeks.

International experts say 200,000 have died and 2.7 million been driven from their homes since JEM and other rebels took up arms against Khartoum in 2003, accusing it of neglecting the development of the region.

DR Congo: New LRA attacks force Congolese to flee to Southern Sudan

Report from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Date: 10 Feb 2009:

DR Congo: New LRA attacks force Congolese to flee to Southern Sudan

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 10 February 2009, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

At least six people were killed and another 21 kidnapped Saturday night in an attack by the Ugandan rebel group, the Lord's resistance Army (LRA), on the town of Aba in the north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The LRA rebels also plundered the local Protestant parish and hospital.

This latest attack sent thousands of Congolese fleeing to Southern Sudan. According to our team in Southern Sudan, some 5,000 Congolese refugees from Alba arrived over the weekend in the town of Lasu, some 50 kms from the DRC border. They said thousands more are on the way. The refugees told UNHCR staff in Lasu on Sunday that 90 per cent of Aba's 100,000 population had fled the town and many more could be expected to arrive in Southern Sudan in the next few days. Our team witnessed large concentrations of refugees in three locations along the Lasu-Yei road. The new arrivals are occupying schools and church buildings along the road.

People in DRC's north-eastern Oriental province have been exposed to brutal and deadly attacks by the LRA since last September. A rough estimate of the total number of people forcefully displaced since then now stands at almost 150,000. Some 900 Congolese have been killed by the Ugandan rebel group over the past five months in the north-east.

Meanwhile, our team in Dungu, a regional centre in the Haut Uele territory of the north-east DRC, trained 60 local Red Cross officials and others on conducting a re-registration exercise in the neighbouring villages around Dungu. The aim of the exercise is to obtain more accurate information about the displaced population and their intentions.

Relative calm is returning to areas around Dungu and our partners report the first signs of return to a number of villages north of the town. We continue to rush aid to the area. Over the weekend a second convoy of 14 trucks brought another shipment of plastic sheeting, blankets, sleeping mats, kitchen sets and soaps. These aid items will be distributed to the displaced population sheltering in the villages south of Dungu.

Qatari hosts sent a plane to JEM's Khalil Ibrahim rear-base in Chad to collect him to join Darfur peace talks later on Tuesday

February 10, 2009 AFP report from Doha, Qatar:

Sudan in first peace talks with Darfur rebels since 2007

A Sudanese government delegation met Darfur rebels from the Justice and Equality Movement in the Qatari capital on Tuesday for their first peace contacts since 2007.

The most heavily armed of the Darfur rebel groups, the JEM boycotted a largely abortive peace deal signed by one other faction in 2006 and in May last year launched an unprecedented assault on the Sudanese capital.

JEM representative Jibril Ibrahim said the new contacts could only pave the way for substantive peace negotiations if the government was prepared to accept the winding up of allied Arab militias in Darfur and allow high-level rebel representation in the central government.

"The appropriate order for our negotiations must be the following -- start by adopting confidence-building measures and making a declaration of good intentions and then address the key bones of contention," Ibrahim said.

He said confidence-building measures should include the release of JEM prisoners and the expansion of aid deliveries to rebel-held areas.

He said the rebel group expected to "retain its fighters during a transition period ahead of a final peace deal which would provide for their integration in the regular army."

The JEM also wanted to secure "a reduction in government troop numbers, the dismantlement of the militias and high-level participation in the central government in Khartoum."

The head of the government delegation, presidential aide Nafie Ali Nafie, renewed "Sudan's determination to continue down the path of peace."

Mediators have stressed that the Doha talks are preliminary and intended to pave the way for a broader peace conference on Darfur.

They have drawn up a working draft to act as the basis of negotiations but Nafie said the government would be seeking "modifications".

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Khalifa told the opening session that he hoped that "other Darfur rebel groups would join the negotiations" that the Doha talks are designed to prepare.

In a boost to the talks, the JEM announced that its leader Khalil Ibrahim -- Jibril's brother -- would be joining the talks later on Tuesday and that the Qatari hosts had sent a plane to his rear-base in Chad to collect him.

Darfur rebels have been critical of Arab-led peace efforts in the past, saying they were designed to save Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir from international court proceedings for alleged war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity in the western region.

One rebel group -- the Sudan Liberation Movement faction of Paris-based exile Abdel Wahid Mohammed Nur -- has refused all talks with Khartoum while the International Criminal Court decides whether to accept a recommendation by prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo to issue an arrest warrant for Beshir.

Jibril Ibrahim stressed that the JEM's participation in the Doha talks did not mean that the rebel group was abandoning its own calls for the ICC to continue its proceedings against Beshir.

Nafie said any move by the court to issue an unprecedented international arrest warrant against a sitting head of state would be a "negative sign" for the search for peace in Darfur.

The United Nations says about 300,000 people have been killed in Darfur since ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated Khartoum government in 2003, complaining of discrimination.

Sudan says 10,000 people have died, and denies charges that its soldiers and allied Janjaweed militiamen have committed war crimes and genocide in Darfur.

JEM, SLA/M Nur & Minnawi sceptical about Darfur Peace Talks - Darfurian leaders attack Minnawi's stance over Doha talks - JEM want Bashir to step down

Representatives of the Afro-Arab Ministerial Committee on the Peace Process in Darfur, led by Qatar, and representatives from the African Union talked with Arab ambassadors at UN headquarters Monday, Sudan's UN ambassador Mohamed said. They will also talk to African ambassadors and members of the 15-nation Security Council.

Mohamed said he had been scheduled to meet with new US Ambassador Susan Rice on Monday but their talks were delayed until later in the week because of a Security Council briefing by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Source: Associated Press report by Edith M. Lederer, Tuesday 10 February 2009, copied here further below.

Monday, 9 February 2009, report from Xinhua (Doha) by Editor Yan:

Qatar hosts consultative meeting on Darfur with int'l bodies

Qatar hosted here Monday a consultative meeting on Darfur with international bodies including the Arab League (AL), the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC)and the African Union (AU).

Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Al-Mahmoud met with AL Secretary General Amr Moussa, OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, AU Commissioner John Bing as well as UN-AU envoy for peace in Darfur Djibril Basole in order to push ahead the Doha-brokered talks on peace in the western Sudanese region of Darfur.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Al-Mahmoud hailed the consultative talks as fruitful and conducive to the efforts being made to restore peace and security in Darfur.

According to the Qatari official, he and Basole briefed the meeting on the progress made by the Qatari mediation and the concerted efforts of the United Nations and the concerned international bodies to solve the armed conflict in the Sudanese region.

The conferees reaffirmed support to Qatar's mediation between the Sudanese government and the armed groups in Darfur, Al-Mahmoud said.

Doha has set the stage for the first round of peace talks between the two conflicting sides which has been scheduled to take place this evening.

But it has been put off until Tuesday due to the late arrivals of the representatives of the government and the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

The preliminary peace talks will be followed by more rounds that will gather representatives of other armed groups which are still opposed to the talks, Al-Mahmoud noted.

Photo: HE Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Mahmoud, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amr Moussa, Arab League Secretary General, Jean Ping, Chairman of the Commission of the African Union, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and Djibril Bassole, United Nations and African Union Joint Chief mediator for Darfur, attending a Doha meeting Monday, 9 Feb. 2009. Source: Gulf Times Tuesday, 10 Feb. 2009 Doha hosts meeting on Darfur:

A HIGH-LEVEL consultative meeting was convened in Doha yesterday afternoon as part of an initiative to find a peaceful solution to the Darfur conflict.

The meeting, attended by HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Mahmoud, Arab League chief Amr Moussa, OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihasanoglu, African Union (AU) commission chairman Jean Ping and United Nations and African Union chief negotiator on Darfur Djibril Bassole, aimed to conducting consultations on ways to support Darfur peace talks and render them successful.

“The participants reiterated their commitment to work together in lending their full support to the concerted efforts being exerted by the UN/AU joint chief mediator and the State of Qatar to find a solution to the Darfur crisis and restore peace and stability therein,” the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) said.

- - -

Monday, 9 February 2009 report from Bloomberg by Heba Aly - excerpt:

Darfur Rebels Skeptical About Talks With Sudan’s Government

The most powerful rebel group in Sudan’s Darfur region said it is skeptical about the success of peace negotiations with the government scheduled to begin today in Doha, Qatar.

“We have a lot of doubts that the other party is serious and coming in good faith,” Gebreil Ibrahim, economic adviser for the rebel Justice and Equality Movement, said yesterday in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, “There is a lot of barriers of trust between the two parties.”

Ibrahim met with Egyptian government officials before leaving for Doha for what is the first attempt to hold talks in almost 18 months. [...]

Past attempts at negotiation with the JEM have failed. These latest talks come in the lead up to a decision by the International Criminal Court on whether to indict Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, as a result of the government’s counter-insurgency in Darfur.

Ibrahim, the brother of JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim, said al-Bashir should step down in the face of the likely indictment, which may come in the next few days.

“His stepping down will be very patriotic, helping his country and making life easier for his people,” Ibrahim said. An indicted president may lead to increased sanctions and less international diplomacy with Sudan, he added.

Peace Process

Sudan, backed by the Arab League and the African Union, has argued that indicting a sitting head of state would jeopardize the peace process. Ibrahim said JEM will negotiate with the current government and any future government, while the ICC continues its work on a parallel track.

“We think justice and peace got to go hand in hand,” he said. “We are not going to trade one for the other.”

JEM spokesman Ahmed Hussain Adam said the rebel group is seeking an end to the “harassment and forced returns” of displaced people to their original homes, an end to air bombardments of civilians and an exchange of prisoners of war.

Only one rebel leader, Minni Minnawi, signed the Darfur Peace Agreement in 2006. Another major rebel leader, Abdulwahid El Nour, who heads a faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement, has said he won’t negotiate with the government until it ceases bombing raids in Darfur.

To contact the reporter on this story: Heba Aly in Cairo via Johannesburg atpmrichardson@bloomberg.net.

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Monday, 9 February 2009, report from Sudan Vision Daily by Mohammed Abdallah, Khartoum:

Darfurian Leaderships Attack Minnawi's Stance Over Doha Talks

Darfurian Leaderships within the government and outside lessened Senior Assistant to the President, Mini Arco Minnawi stances against the preliminary peace talks scheduled to take place in Doha between the government and JEM.

Prominent Darfuri figure, Farouq Ahmed Adam described Minnawi's statements and his stance on Doha talks as a reflection to several problems within Minnawi faction and the conflicts between his faction and the three Darfur State governors from one hand and the Darfuri people on the other hand.

Adam pointed out that the Doha agreement is distinguished from other agreement by its availing the chance for conducting the Darfuri/Darfuri dialogue which took place in Sudan People's Initiative Forum.

For his part, South Darfur Deputy Governor, Dr. Farah Mustafa, described Minnawi stance as unjustifiable, adding that his faction is not the only movement controlling Darfur, describing what is going on in Doha as a completion to peace in the whole Sudan in general and in Darfur in particular.

Western Darfur Minister of Culture, Sultan Hashim Osman Hashim described Minnawi's stance as singing out side the flock.

- - -

Monday, 9 February 2009, report from Sudan Vision Daily by Mohammed Abdallah:

Darfur Transitional Authority Chairman Minnawi Hinders Peace Efforts

For the sake of achieving peace and security all over the country, Sudanese government left no stone unturned to enjoin the Abuja agreement. Non-signatories have been constantly urged to join the peace process in the country.

Nowadays there are active movements to hold talks between the government and JEM in Doha to break the ice and build confidences in preparation to enter peace talks.

Sudan Vision investigated several Darfur leaderships over the Doha negotiations and the rejection of Mini Arco Minnawi to that negotiations and his boycotting the talks describing it as a plot and accusing the UN/AU mediator as lacking transparency.

The Advantages of the Proposed Frame Agreement:
Dr. Farouq Ahmed Adam said that what distinguished Doha meeting is that it avails the chance for a Darfuri/Darfuri
conference to agree on the basic demands. He added that the Darfur issue is very complicated and needs more patience and reality in dealing with the issue.

Farouq said that what is needed in this stage is to reach a peace deal which requires from all the concerned parties to be flexible.

Reactions:
Farouq described Minnawi's stance per Doha meetings as a reflection to the conflicts within the faction and Minnawi's disputes with the governors in Darfur and the neighbouring countries.

Singing outside the flock
Western Darfur Minister of Culture described Minnawi as singing outside the flock while he has been assigned as the chairman of the peace and reconciliation in Darfur and now he is the first one to reject such reconciliation!

Hashim added that any statement against the main objective which is achieving of peace is rejected by the Darfuri people, calling for not personalization of issues.

Western Darfur State Presidential Commissioner, Hisham Norain described the boycott of Minnawi to Doha talks as serious.

Controlling the situations:
South Darfur Deputy Governor, Dr. Farah Mustafa said that Doha talks are a completion to peace building in Sudan in general and for Darfur in particular pointing out that Minnawi faction is not the only one in Darfur and that Minnawi's stance is unjustifiable.

Reconstruction of Stopping the Bloodsheds:
South Darfur ex-Deputy Governor, Adam Idris Al-Siliak said that any action that can lead to stop the bloodshed is commendable whatever form the agreement will take.

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Tuesday, 10 February 2009, report from Associated Press by Edith M. Lederer (United Nations):

Envoy: Sudan to seek peace even if warrant issued

Sudan's U.N. ambassador said Monday his government will pursue peace in Darfur even if the International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir for his alleged role in atrocities in the war-ravaged western province.

The world's first permanent war crimes tribunal is expected to announce its decision soon on the warrant requested last year by the court's chief prosecutor. The decision comes as talks between the Sudanese government and one of the two main rebel groups in Darfur get under way Tuesday.

"Our priority is for peace in Sudan," Ambassador Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamed said in an interview with The Associated Press. "We will definitely pursue with vigor our national attempts and endeavors to achieve national reconciliation in Sudan and also lasting peace in Darfur."

Mohamed said an arrest warrant for the president would be "an insult to justice" because it would be politically motivated, aimed at changing the government in Sudan.

"We consider if it ever comes, it will be a dead and smelling rat," he said. "It will never shake our resolve in resisting this injustice inflicted on us. We are deeply hurt by trying to indict the symbol of our authority, our serving president. It's too much. It's crazy. That's why for us, it will mean nothing." [...]

Mohamed said the African Union is already starting talks at the United Nations to get Security Council support for a resolution that would delay action on a warrant for a year.

The statute that set up the International Criminal Court allows the council to pass a resolution to defer or suspend for a year the investigation or prosecution of a case. The council can renew such a resolution.

Representatives of the Afro-Arab Ministerial Committee on the Peace Process in Darfur, led by Qatar, and representatives from the African Union talked with Arab ambassadors at U.N. headquarters Monday, Mohamed said. They will also talk to African ambassadors and members of the 15-nation Security Council.

Mohamed said he had been scheduled to meet with new U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice on Monday but their talks were delayed until later in the week because of a Security Council briefing by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

- - -

Monday, 9 February 2009, report by AFP (Doha - excerpt):

Mediators prepare new Darfur peace push

Mediators attempting to broker an end to the six-year war in Darfur met in the Qatari capital on Monday ahead of the first peace talks between the Sudanese government and the rebel Justice and Equality Movement since 2007.

The talks had been due to open on Monday evening but were put off until Tuesday after the arrival of some members of both delegations was delayed.

"We are waiting for the arrival of a nine-member delegation headed by presidential adviser Nafie Ali Nafie," Sudan's ambassador to Qatar, Abdullah al-Faqiri, told AFP.

JEM spokesman Ahmed Adam said some members of the rebel delegation had also been delayed and "will not arrive until late this evening after they were held up by engagements in Cairo."

Earlier, the mediators held a preparatory meeting "aimed at discussing and rendering the Darfur peace talks successful," they said in a joint statement.

The mediators included Arab League chief Amr Mussa, OIC secretary general Ekmeleddin Ihasanoglu, African Union commission chairman Jean Ping, Qatar's state minister for foreign affairs Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Mahmud and United Nations and African Union chief negotiator on Darfur Djibril Bassole.

Qatar was tasked by the Arab League and the African Union with hosting new peace negotiations between the Sudanese government and the rebels.

The Sudanese ambassador expressed optimism ahead of the talks.

"It is expected that a framework agreement will be signed tomorrow to end hostilities in Darfur," Faqiri told AFP. "The agreement is of a security and military nature."

But the rebels sounded a more pessimistic note.

"The delegation will not sign this agreement, and will present a clear proposition in the opening session," their spokesman said.

"These talks between the Khartoum government and the movement's delegation are to build trust between both sides.

"I am not optimistic about these talks," he said, adding that JEM negotiators would nonetheless enter them with an "open heart and mind."

Darfur rebels have been critical of Arab-led peace efforts, saying they were designed to save Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir from international court proceedings for alleged war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.

Adam said that whatever the outcome of the case against Beshir, it should not be linked to the current talks. [...]

- - -

Tuesday, 10 February 10 2009, report from Sudan Vision Daily by Al-Sammani Awadallah, Khartoum:

Nafie Addresses Doha Talks Today

Talks between the Sudanese government and JEM will convene today in Doha to pave way for full peace negotiations and would be attended by the joint UN/African Union mediator in Darfur Djibril Bassole and Qatari State Foreign Minister.

Government negotiation delegation chairman, Dr. Nafie Ali Nafie said that the negotiations with JEM will be also with other armed factions and will concentrate on ceasefire to pave the way for talks and negotiations.

Presidential Advisor, Abdallah Masar said that the talks which will start today will be addressed by Darfur File Official and Assistant to the President, Dr. Nafie Ali Nafie who will concentrate in the technical aspects after which a frame agreement will be signed on the issues discussed by the technical committees.

He affirmed that this step is considered a start for the direct talks between the government and JEM expecting that the negotiations will lead to a peace agreement to end the suffering in Darfur.

Observers expressed optimism over the success of this round to reach an agreement paving the way for achieving peace in Darfur, despite the rejection of several armed movements to take part in the talks.

Analyst Mohammed Mahjoub Haroun described Doha talks as a real start, but it needs the joining of the remaining armed factions in Darfur to that talks.

He said that it seems that the talks are well prepared for as they have international support which might lead to joining by the boycotting factions to the talks. He pointed that Bassole made shuttle movements in preparation to this round of talks.

JEM Legislative Council Speaker, Al-Tahir Al-Faki stated that Doha talks are considered as preliminary consultations aiming at breaking the ice and opening the way for negotiations. He added that this round would be part of the agreement's frame, pointing that it is the first step forward which will lead to the second.

It is to be noted that the mediation set yesterday as the start of the talks but due to the delay of JEM delegation in Cairo it has been postponed to commence today.

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Tuesday, 10 February 2009, report from The Peninsular, Qatar by Mohamed Saeed (Doha):

Mediators prepare for Darfur peace negotiations in Qatar

Mediators attempting to broker an end to the six-year war in Darfur met here yesterday on the eve of the first peace talks between the Sudanese government and the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) since 2007.

The talks were due to open yesterday evening but were put off until today after the arrival of some members of both delegations was delayed.

Qatar, under the umbrella of The Arab League, is sponsoring the preliminary talk that is expected to pave way for lasting peace in Sudan. The ‘Darfur Peace Talks’ between the Sudanese government and the JEM, that aims at resolving the Darfur’s crisis peacefully, will kick off at the Doha Sheraton today.

High-level officials representing Sudanese government and JEM will attend the conference. Envoys from Arab League, regional governments and Western countries have already arrived to attend the meeting.

A consultative meeting held here yesterday was attended by H E Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amr Moussa, Arab League Secretary-General, Jean Ping, Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary-General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and Djbrill Bassole, UN/AU Joint-Chief mediator for Darfur.

The participants reiterated their commitment to work together in extending their full support to the efforts being exerted by the UN/AU Joint Chief Mediator and the State of Qatar to find a solution to the Darfur crisis and to restore peace and stability.

In a statement to the press, Al Mahmoud said that mediators comprising several experts and representatives of various agencies have formed several committees. Each committee will be in charge of a certain issue of conflict between the two parties.

“JEM is the only rebel group that is participating at the first round of the peace talks here. Other groups are expected to participate at the negotiations later,” said the minister.

US Ambassador to UN Susan Rice to meet this week with Sudan's UN ambassador Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad

Susan E. Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, invited Sudan's U.N. ambassador, Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad, on Wednesday to a reception for senior African diplomats at her official residence at the Waldorf-Astoria. She also has scheduled a meeting with the Sudanese envoy this week.

Source: Washington Post February 9, 2009.

AU adopts African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance. Nearly a billion people are going to bed hungry -– one in seven people on Earth

I note that the Africa Union has made it clear that it will not accept unconstitutional changes of power such as recently took place in Guinea and Mauritania. It has further taken the lead in demanding a quick return to constitutional legality. I welcome and encourage this strong, principled and consistent approach and commend the African Union for the adoption of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance. - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon

Development of Africa's infrastructure key to economic growth, social progress, says Secretary-General in Addis Ababa address

Source: United Nations Secretary-General
Date: 02 Feb 2009

SG/SM/12084
AFR/1805

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's address to the Summit Meeting of the African Union in Addis Ababa, 2 February:

It gives me a great pleasure to join you for this important session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union. I thank Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and the Government and people of Ethiopia for their warm hospitality. I also thank President Kikwete and Chairperson Ping for their dynamic leadership at this challenging time for the African Union.

Before I begin my substantial remarks, I would like to express sympathy and condolences to President Kibaki of Kenya for the recent tragic accident where over 100 people have been killed.

I extend my deep admiration and respect to all the leaders of the African Union.

The African Union meets at a critical period in Africa's search for development in greater peace and security. I welcome African countries' ongoing efforts to perfect their union. I can assure you that I and my staff at the United Nations are committed to doing everything within our capacity to support you.

As you know, I recently travelled through the Middle East seeking a durable and sustainable ceasefire to the conflict in Gaza. The casualties were unacceptable by any standards. We have a fragile ceasefire at this point, but it must be sustained and the crossings opened. Steps must be taken towards Palestinian unity taken to ensure that Gaza is rebuilt and that conditions are in place for the conclusion of a comprehensive peace in the region. In my capacity as Secretary-General, I am committed to making this fragile ceasefire a durable and sustainable ceasefire, working together with the leaders of the region and the international community.

What the recent conflict in Gaza teaches us is that prevention is better than cure. It also underscores the importance of working towards sustainable political solutions. The United Nations, therefore, particularly welcomes the various regional initiatives in Africa that are potentially much more effective than preventive diplomacy launched from New York. Of course, regional initiatives carry not only the privilege of priority, but also greater ownership and the responsibility of effective delivery.

All of us can take pleasure in the progress to a political settlement in Somalia, and I particularly want to congratulate President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, who is with us here today. We have all worked hard to get to where we are, but there is much that remains to be done to alleviate the suffering of the Somalians. The people of Somalia must build on their excellent start in Djibouti to achieve a truly national political and social compact. The United Nations will take the lead in building up the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) and strengthening Somali national forces with the international community doing its part to provide equipment and support. We should also plan, if considered appropriate, for the incorporation of AMISOM into a United Nations peacekeeping force in the months ahead. We appreciate the determination of the international community to fight against piracy activities along the coasts of Somalia.

In Darfur, insecurity and intense suffering prevail despite the commendable support of the international community and the courageous humanitarian, peacekeeping and mediation efforts of our colleagues on the ground. I urge the Government of the Sudan and the rebel groups to stop immediately all kinds of violent activity, which jeopardize the peace process and threaten the lives of civilians. I have urged the JEM to withdraw from Muhajeria in order to avoid an escalation of violence, and the Sudanese authorities to use maximum restraint. It is important to ensure that the situation in Darfur does not impact negatively on the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. As you know, elections within this framework were planned to take place by July, but delays in setting up the requisite infrastructure for elections may make this deadline hard to meet.

The African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) was fully able to deploy more than 60 per cent of its troops by the end of December. We shall continue to accelerate the deployment. I urge the countries that have pledged troops to deploy them as soon as possible. UNAMID still lacks several critical assets, such as 18 utility helicopters.

I am grateful to the Government of Ethiopia for its pledge of tactical helicopters. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, recent setbacks in the eastern part of the country have now taken a dramatic turn for the better. But the situation on the ground is still fragile. We will strengthen the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) to better protect civilian populations and provide humanitarian assistance. We should also acknowledge the significant achievements made in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with the successful holding of presidential elections, the functioning of its legislative bodies and marked improvement in the security situation. The spirit behind the new cooperation in the east should be the basis for building lasting peace in this long-troubled area. The United Nations remains deeply invested in the search for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I urge an immediate end to the senseless violence against innocent civilians. Perpetrators of such crimes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and elsewhere should know that they will not go unpunished wherever they happen; they will have to be accountable.

On Zimbabwe, I welcome the National Unity Government as the first step towards full democracy. But there is still a long way to go. The United Nations has supported the mediation efforts of the South African Development Community (SADC), and I am pleased that the two sides have now agreed to work together. I urge all sides to build on the hard-won breakthrough which has taken place so that the international community can partner with Zimbabwe in meeting the desperate humanitarian needs of its people. I will immediately send a high-level humanitarian mission to Zimbabwe. The United Nations remains ready to help this Government as it moves forward. We must all remain watchful to ensure that the human rights and democratic freedoms of all Zimbabweans are protected.

In West Africa, we have witnessed a reduction in the number of destructive and internecine conflicts, as well as several peaceful, democratic transfers of power.

I commend Ghana for its recent smooth democratic transition of power and my congratulations to the people of Ghana. To keep this momentum going in the region, it is essential that a date be set for the presidential election in Côte d'Ivoire. However, drug trafficking is becoming a major challenge to security and governance in West Africa, as traffickers are taking advantage of porous borders, inadequate security and limited national capacity. We are working closely with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to roll back this dangerous phenomenon. But these efforts have only just begun.

I note that the Africa Union has made it clear that it will not accept unconstitutional changes of power such as recently took place in Guinea and Mauritania. It has further taken the lead in demanding a quick return to constitutional legality. I welcome and encourage this strong, principled and consistent approach and commend the African Union for the adoption of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance. I am particularly concerned about recent developments in Madagascar and urge all parties to address their differences peacefully and through existing constitutional mechanisms.

Our world continues to face urgent and complex challenges. A grave international economic and financial crisis. Climate change. High food prices. Energy insecurity. The global economic crisis is unprecedented in scale and scope. It is erasing jobs and undermining with alarming speed the hard-won gains of recent years. For a majority of people, particularly those in developing countries, the most painful and terrifying phase of the crisis has only just begun.

In Africa, its negative effects will reach not only growth, trade and financial flows but also the fight against poverty and the likelihood of reduced official development assistance (ODA). In responding to the crisis, the international community must take account of the needs of the poorest countries and stimulus packages should take this appropriately into consideration. I have made my consistent and strong message to the developed world while I welcome the national stimulus packages to address this financial crisis, they should never lose sight of the challenges of the most vulnerable people. They should keep their commitment on ODA; they should keep their commitment of fighting against climate change, fighting against this food crisis. And I'm sure that they have taken note of my strong message and this is going to be my message when I attend the G20 {Group of 20] Summit Meeting in London in April. Emerging and developing countries should have greater voice and representation in the new international financial system and all around cooperation will be needed to protect the gains made towards achieving the MDGs.

It is healthy, well-nourished and educated people who will drive development and prosperity on this continent. However, last year's dramatic rises in world food prices were especially hard on the poor. Nearly a billion people are going to bed hungry -– one in seven people on Earth.

We are encouraging a two-track approach at the global level to help those at immediate risk while tackling the underlying causes of the crisis. The High-Level Task Force I formed last May has proposed a Comprehensive Framework for Action that links improved nutrition, food security, agriculture, social protection, functioning markets and fair trade. In addition, I recently joined the Prime Minister of Spain in hosting a high-level meeting on food security last Monday which agreed on a number of steps to achieve this goal.

Africa should not have food shortages. I commend the African Union for establishing the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). I would be delighted if this process could be driven by African agriculture, and involve African Governments, farmers' organizations and businesses. Our Task Force will do all it can to help achieve this goal.

One of the immediate priorities must be to help smallholder farmers before the next planting season starts.

Climate change remains on the front burner of global concerns. Various studies have shown that Africa will be one of the regions most affected even though it has not contributed much to the problem. Our objective, however, should be seamless cooperation to tackle this problem by showing political will, providing resources and seeking an international treaty by the end of this year through the United Nations Framework Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Time is short to achieve these goals. This is why I regard 2009 as the year of climate change. I trust that recent steps taken by African countries to adopt a coherent approach on climate change will enable them to participate actively in the forthcoming negotiations.

I welcome your choice of infrastructure as the focus of this Summit, as infrastructural development is key to economic growth and social progress. Africa needs good roads, schools and hospitals; as well as reliable and efficient water services, electricity grids and telecom networks; while information and communication technologies must also be a bigger part of Africa's future. These remain the building blocks for job creation and the ability to compete in global markets.

Infrastructure development is an opportunity to go green. Greater use of renewable energy would increase access and protect against climate change. Geothermal energy in the Great Rift Valley; solar energy in the Sahara; hydropower and rainwater harvesting; these all have great potential to create jobs and lay the groundwork for tomorrow's low-carbon economy.

Given the large number of small and landlocked countries, and shared resource belts, regional approaches to providing infrastructure are essential. The various African river basin initiatives are a good first step in this regard. There is a great benefit to be derived from the economies of scale that cross-border cooperation brings. This should be complemented by public-private partnerships, building of indigenous scientific and technological capacities and tangible investments in education.

The MDG Africa Steering Group, which I established after attending the African Union Summit here in Addis Ababa two years ago, has estimated that $52 billion in public and private investment would be needed annually to address Africa's critical infrastructure needs. All of us should support the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa's efforts to mobilize these resources. Investing in Africa's infrastructure is a cornerstone of Africa's development. We must rededicate ourselves to this vital objective.

Africa's strong commitment to improving governance including through the African Peer Review Mechanism has contributed to the consolidation of peace and security and improved economic management. I strongly urge you to forge ahead in this constructive path. As Secretary-General of the United Nations, I shall continue to call on Africa's development partners to fulfil their commitments to the continent, even in this time of crisis.

With your strong leadership, matched by strong partnership from the international community, Africa will be transformed for the better in the future.

I thank you for your kind attention and I count on your leadership and vision.

Draft Doha Agreement on Darfur could lead to a final peace agreement in 3 months

February 8, 2009 KUNA report from Borglobe.com by Hussein Ibrahim, Khartoum:

Sudanese cautiously awaiting Doha agreement on Darfur

Sudanese circles are cautiously awaiting the initialing of an agreement between the Khartoum government and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) over peace in Darfur, due in the Qatari capital, Doha, on Monday.

The draft agreement, distributed here on parties concerned, of which KUNA obtained a copy, calls for cessation of military operations and hostile actions, improving security situation in Darfur and forming a committee, in which Qatar is represented, to prepare for negotiations.

It also called on Sudanese parties to promote political dialogue and create suitable atmosphere for final negotiations' round, due to be held in Doha and will lead to a final peace agreement.

The final peace agreement should be signed three months after the initialing of the deal maximum.

A Sudanese politician said all indications showed that progress was possible this time specially that the Arab League-sponsored Qatari mediation was backed by the international community. "We think peace is reachable because all parties have shown readiness and seriousness this time," Hassan Abu Sabib, an official in the Democratic Union Party, told KUNA.

The Sudanese government and JEM are under pressure and are inclined to reach a peace agreement swiftly, observers said.

The Sudanese government is under pressure by the International Criminal Court (ICC) where an arrest warrant was considered against President Omar Al-Bashir on genocide charges in Darfur.

The JEM, however, is also suffering a setback following its defeat by government forces in Muhajirya area.

Other rebel groups in Darfur are not present in Doha.

JEM, the most powerful militarily among the groups, is insisting that it represents all groups but the UN hopes that other factions would participate.

Secretary General of the ruling party Mandor Al-Mahdi said in a statement Sunday a government delegation would head to Doha "with an open heart and mind to reach a framework agreement over issues like power sharing, resources and security arrangement for upcoming negotiations." the Arab League and African Union (AU) assigned Qatar to sponsor the negotiations in yet another bid to end six years of conflicts that killed and displaced over two million people.

Officials from Sudan and JEM have begun to arrive in Doha, Qatar for talks attended by joint UN/AU mediator Djibril Bassolé

February 9, 2009 Voice of America report by Derek Kilner (Nairobi) - excerpt:

Sudan and Rebels Set to Start Talks in Qatar

Representatives of Sudan's Justice and Equality rebel movement are set to begin discussions with the Sudanese government this week in Qatar, in a bid to revive a peace process for the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region. Rebel representatives have been meeting with Egyptian officials in Cairo before the Qatar talks.

Officials from the Sudanese government and the rebel Justice and Equality Movement, known as JEM, have begun to arrive in the Qatari capital, Doha.

JEM's head of training and strategic planning, Abdullahi Osman El-Tom told VOA from Ireland that rebel representatives were still meeting with Egyptian officials in Cairo, and that discussions in Qatar were to begin Tuesday.

The negotiations, which will be attended by the joint U.N.-A.U. mediator, Djibril Bassolé, represent the latest attempt to revive the stalled peace process for the Darfur conflict. JEM, along with most other rebel factions, rejected a 2006 peace agreement, and the group boycotted negotiations held in 2007 in Libya.

The Justice and Equality Movement will be represented in Qatar by Djibril Ibrahim, an advisor to the group's leader, Khalil Ibrahim, and the government side by Nafi'e al Nafi'e, an advisor to President Omar al-Bashir. El-Tom said the discussions are simply a first step to re-establish contact between the two sides.

"We want to meet the other side, that is the government party, just an ice breaker. And then we will try to schedule ways of how to move forward, but the agenda is more or less open," he said. "But the most important thing is to focus on putting an end to the violence in Darfur and improving the situation of the IDPs and refugees."

None of Darfur's numerous other rebel groups will be represented, including factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement.

JEM, which has recently been the most active group militarily, has criticized previous efforts at negotiations for involving too many marginal players. But some observers worry that a process that does not involve at least some of the other more prominent factions will have limited effectiveness. [...]

In Cairo, JEM representatives met with Egyptian officials about a possible role for Egypt, which borders Sudan to the north, in future negotiations. Egypt is also sending its foreign minister and intelligence chief to Sudan this week. [...]

Egypt’s intelligence chief Umar Suleiman and Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu Al-Gheit are visiting Sudan this week

February 09, 2009 report from The Media Line: - excerpt:

Egypt Top Brass Head for Sudan

Egypt’s intelligence chief ‘Umar Suleiman and Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu Al-Gheit are visiting Sudan this week, the Egyptian government announced. [...]

Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Husam Zaki said the two senior officials would be traveling to the neighboring Sudan to discuss developments in the Arab world, and specifically in Sudan.

Relations between Sudan and Egypt were recently strained after the Sudanese president attended a meeting in Qatar, which was boycotted by Egypt.

The meeting, which discussed the Palestinian plight during Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip, was viewed by Egypt as a gathering of the more extremist voices, including Syria and Iran. Cairo was concerned it was undermining its efforts to mediate a cease-fire.

The meeting pitted Arab powers against each other, with Syria, Iran, Qatar and Hamas on the one side and Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian Authority on the other.

Egypt is opposed to an ICC indictment against Al-Bashir, expressing concern that this could fuel more violence in the region. [...]

UNAMID helicopter shot at by unidentified gunmen near its HQ in El-Fasher, Darfur

Darfur gunmen hit peacekeeping helicopter
February 9, 2009 Reuters report by Andrew Heavens in Khartoum - excerpt:

Unidentified gunmen opened fire on a peacekeeping helicopter on Monday as it flew over Sudan's Darfur region, smashing its windscreen, officials said. [...]

The joint U.N./African Union UNAMID peacekeeping mission said its Mi-8 helicopter was hit as it ferried food supplies 70 km (43 miles) southwest of El Fasher, the force's headquarters.

"We are lucky no one was injured," said UNAMID spokesman Noureddine Mezni. "This is a very serious incident -- unacceptable. We are here to keep peace. We are not part of the conflict."

UNAMID helicopters came under fire several times last year. The force has said it fears rebel groups are targeting their aircraft, mistaking them for government helicopters which, despite regular protests, often use the same white livery.

Sudan government officials are due to meet members of Darfur's rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) in Qatar late on Monday for their first official talks since 2007. JEM officials said the discussions would begin in earnest on Tuesday.

Both sides said they were planning to discuss possible confidence building measures, including a ceasefire, which could pave the way to full peace negotiations.

Sudan's government last year said it wanted to invite all Darfur rebel groups to peace talks in Doha, as part of a new peace push. [...] (editing by Mark Trevelyan)

JEM delegation in Cairo before Doha talks is led by JEM's Economic Adviser Gibril Ibrahim and not his brother Khalil Ibrahim

According to the following article at Sudan Tribune, JEM delegation is in Cairo, Egypt and meeting scheduled for today in Doha between Sudanese government will be rescheduled for Tuesday or Wednesday.

JEM official said that their delegation is led by the Economic Adviser Gibril Ibrahim and not his brother Khalil Ibrahim the leader of the rebel movement, as it was reported yesterday.

Assistant of the President of the Republic and Chairman of the government negotiating delegation with Darfur movements Dr. Nafie Ali Nafie pointed out in a press statement Sunday that the government delegation leaving for Doha is of technical nature, who include representatives of the security and regular organs and a legal expert.

Source: following reports

Sudan Tribune Monday 9 February 2009
Peace talks between Sudan and Darfur JEM in Doha slightly delayed.:

February 8, 2009 (CAIRO) – A meeting scheduled for Monday between the Sudanese government and Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) has been postponed due to talks rebels will hold with Egyptian officials in Cairo.



Photo: Qatari state minister for foreign affairs meet with the sudanese presidential assistant in Khartoum on Oct 9, 2008
The meeting will be rescheduled for Tuesday or Wednesday.

Qatar, the host country and the joint mediator called the Sudanese government and JEM to discuss confidence building measures in Doha on Monday. Envoys from different regional and Western countries have already arrived to take part in the meeting.

“We have informed the joint mediator Djibril Bassole of our delay in Cairo. By no means, this postponement will affect our commitment to Doha peace process,” Ahmed Hussein Adam, JEM spokesperson told Sudan Tribune from Cairo.

Hussein stressed that the delay comes as result of schedule conflicts with the Egyptian officials they will meet.

The JEM official said that their delegation is led by the Economic Adviser Gibril Ibrahim and not his brother Khalil Ibrahim the leader of the rebel movement, as it was reported yesterday.

The Doha meeting is the first meeting between the Sudanese government and JEM rebels since the end of Abuja peace talks in May 2006 where the rebel movement rejected the agreement.

JEM spokesperson said they will discuss with the government delegation the confidence building measures and if the two stakeholders agree on these measures then they will discuss a declaration on the principles of the peace process.

According to JEM these measures deal with the release of JEM fighters detained or sentenced after a raid on Khartoum last May, stop IDP’s harassment, halt forced repatriation of the displaced, and the cessation of air strikes on civilians.

However Nafi Ali Nafi, the head of the Sudanese delegation to Doha meeting said they would discuss a draft of framework agreement proposed by the mediators, focusing on the ceasefire, the official SUNA reported.

He pointed out that the framework agreement would be negotiated with the rebel movements separately.

The rebel official dismissed reports saying they would sign a framework agreement with the government. He also stressed JEM support to the indictment of the Sudanese President by the International Criminal Court which is “legal process that should not to be mixed with the political process”.

Hussein also said the purpose of the meeting in Doha is not “to negotiate for jobs in Khartoum but for the rights of the Darfur people”. He stressed that despite JEM military capabilities to fight government as they do on daily basis, JEM political leadership believes that the conflict only will be settled politically.

- - -

Negotiations between Government and armed movements in Darfur start in Doha Monday on proposed framework agreement

From SUNA Mon, 09 Feb 2009:

Negotiations between the Government and the armed movements in Darfur start in Doha, Qatar, Monday on framework agreement proposed by the sponsors of the Arab-African Initiative.

Assistant of the President of the Republic and Chairman of the government negotiating delegation with Darfur movements Dr. Nafie Ali Nafie pointed out in a press statement Sunday that the government delegation leaving for Doha is of technical nature, who include representatives of the security and regular organs and a legal expert.

Dr. Nafie pointed out that the framework agreement which will be negotiated with the armed movements separately, starting with the Justice and Equality Movement, focuses on cease-fire to pave the way for dialogue to reach a peace agreement.

Bashir possessed such control over his subordinates, that their will was irrelevant?

"...That Bashir possessed such control over his subordinates, that their will was irrelevant. I find it hard to believe that this was the case, and especially not during the period since the end of major hostilities four years ago", writes Alex de Waal in his latest analysis at Making Sense of Darfur, 9 February 2009: The ICC vs. Bashir: Debating the Mode of Liability