Arab media

February 27 , 2008

Source: Al Khaleej (UAE daily, with over 80,000 in circulation)
Headline: Cairo Calls on West to Convince Rebels to Join Peace Talks

• Darfur crisis entered its 6th year without an end in sight.  This new year arrives with two envoys, American and Chinese, in Khartoum to meet with high-level Sudanese officials
• Meanwhile, Sudanese army rejected a call by hybrid leader Rudolph Adada to withdraw from West Darfur
• President Bush recently voiced disappointment at hybrid force’s slow deployment, as only 9,000 of the 26,000 troops are in place
• Nafi Ali Nafi described UN secretary general’s accusations that Sudan was responsible for the delay, as regrettable for the delay was due to lack of funds and his country has no hand in that
• Cairo, on the other hand, was conducting talks with Western countries to urge them to pressure Darfur rebel groups to join peace negotiations
• An Egyptian source indicated that rebels’ refusal to participate in peace talks was a major obstacle to peace in the region
• The source also said that Western countries that host them bear moral, legal, and political responsibility to see to it that they join the peace process
• The source added that failure of Western powers to exercise pressure on the rebels could justify accusations these powers were conspiring with the Rebels

Source: Al Hayat (Saudi-owned Pan-Arab daily with wide circulation)
Headline: American – Sudanese Negotiations Face Difficulties
By: Annour Ahmed Annour

• State Department spokesperson in Washington denied existence of a timetable to normalize relations with Sudan and called on Sudan to cooperate fully with hybrid force and to take concrete measures to end Janjaweed and other groups’ violence in Darfur
• Hours before that in Khartoum, Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Deng Alor stated that his country and US would normalize relation within maximum of six months
• Meanwhile, negotiations between US envoy Richard Williamson and Sudanese officials faced some difficulties, as Washington demanded a major breakthrough in Darfur and implementation of Nifasha Agreement, including oil-rich Abyie region
• Informed sources indicated that the two demands force Sudanese government to make painful concessions