By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, June 23 -- The day after UN Security Council heard about what's called the Darfur Peace Agreement from the foreign ministers of Burkina Faso and Qatar, Inner City Press put questions about the agreement and rebel group's opposition to both of them, and US Permanent Representative Susan Rice.
When Ambassador Rice came out of the Security Council, Inner City Press asked her, “most of the rebel groups have spoken actually against the document. I wanted to know you know whether you think this will actually bring peace to Darfur.”
Rice replied that “we are of the view that that agreement represents a step, an important step, forward. Obviously, in and of itself it is not sufficient to end the conflict in Darfur, but we think it was an important step and we have supported it.”
But the Justice and Equality Movement, whose leader Khalil Ibrahim remains trapped in Tripoli which is being bombed by NATO, has spoken against the document, as have the rebel groups led by Abdel Wahid al-Nur and Minni Minnawi. Inner City Press put this question to the two foreign ministers.
Djibril Bassole, who stepped down as joint UN-AU mediator earlier this month, said “I think so far there is no rejection... they need to sit with the government in Khartoum.” He added, “the armed movements are still divided.”
Qatar's foreign minister Ahmad Bin Abdulah Al Mahmoud said that the document represents what people in Darfur want, and therefore puts pressure on the rebels. He said, “for first time, all stakeholders were in one room. JEM they participated as well as LJM.. The movements are psay]ing they are looking for right of people of Darfur. They were there, expressed their requirements... as Brother Bassole said... we going to send letters to movements.”
After other media questions in Arabic and French, Inner City Press followed up, asking how they would reach out to JEM's Khalil Ibrahim trapped in Tripoli.
Bassole said that “we have been trying to get him out of Tripoli, it is not that easy. We will keep working on it with our partners to keep him out of there” to sign.
Would they only get him out of harm's way in Tripoli IF he signs? The UN was asked long ago to get him out, as the UN got its own international staff out. But he remains there. Watch this site.
