Arab media

February 28 , 2008

Source: Addustour (Government-friendly, Jordanian daily enjoys wide circulation)
Headline: Deby Orders “International Investigation” into Disappearance of Two Opposition Leaders

• At the end of French President Nicholas Sarkozy, Chadian President Idriss Deby announced an “international investigation” of disappearance of two opposition leaders
• Ngarlejin Yoronghar, prominent opposition member of parliament, Ibni Omar Mahamat Salah, spokesperson for coalition of opposition parties, were arrested on February 3rd when rebel forces laid siege to presidential palace compound
• President Deby blamed their disappearance on those days’ chaos, which he said killed 400 civilians

Source: Al Jazeera (Leading Arabic News Channel, headquartered in Qatar)
Headline: China Calls on Sudan and Western Countries to Put More Effort to Resolve Darfur Crisis

• Chinese special envoy to Sudan Liu Giulin urged Sudanese government to show more flexibility regarding some technical issue that block deployment of hybrid force in Darfur
• He also called on Western countries to leverage their influence among Darfur’s main rebel groups, Justice and Equality and Sudan Liberation Movement, to participate in peace negotiations
• Liu met with hybrid force leader Rudolph Adada who indicated that the most urgent need was to deploy African troops from Egypt and Ethiopia
• The Sudanese government still objects to any non-African participation in the hybrid force
• Meanwhile, rebel leader Abdul Wahid Nour called on China to “stop supplying arms to the Sudanese government” and added “we need peace on the ground first, the fighting must end before we can address the root causes of the crisis”

Source: Al Hayat (Saudi-owned Pan-Arab daily with wide circulation)
Headline: Khartoum Plays Down International Campaign to Arrest War Crimes Suspects
By: Annour Ahmed Annour

• Sudanese government played down effect of an international campaign by 45 international organizations to pressure it to arrest and handover government officials Ahmed Harun and Ali Kushaib
• The two officials are accused by International Criminal Court of committing war crimes in Darfur
• The campaign wants United Nations Security Council and the United Nations to put pressure on the Sudanese government to handover the two suspects by enacting targeted sanctions against the two officials
• The campaign issued posters with the two suspects’ photos and urged people to send messages and letter to the international organization calling for their arrest
• Meanwhile, a high-ranking Sudanese official said the campaign was politically motivated and charged that war crimes charges become louder each time there a political resolution was possible