Qatar delays Darfur talks due to Gaza meeting

EGYPT: An Arab and African foreign ministers meeting on the Darfur crisis due to take place on Sunday has been delayed to January 12 at the request of hosts Qatar, an Arab League official said on Saturday.

Qatar asked for the delay because its Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim was heading to New York with other Arab officials ahead of a UN Security Council meeting that will discuss a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza. Qatar was tasked by the Arab League and the African Union to host negotiations aimed at ending five years of warring between the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum and ethnic Darfur rebels.

Arab League chief Amr Mussa and joint African Union-United Nations mediator for Darfur Djibril Bassole were to attend the meeting and discuss the warring parties’ readiness for the peace talks.

The meeting “will discuss points of future action... to resolve the Darfur crisis,” an Arab diplomat told AFP when it was announced.

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

The United Nations says about 300,000 people have died in Darfur since rebels took up arms against the government in Khartoum in February 2003, complaining of discrimination.

Sudan denies the genocide charges and says 10,000 people have died in the conflict.

Cairo, Sunday, AFP