March 30, 2007 (RIYADH) — Sudan should deal on Darfur crisis file with the United Nations and the international community through the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in order to avoid confrontation over the deployment of UN-AU forces in Darfur, the London based Al-Hayat reported Friday.

According to the Arabic language al-Hayat, It was agreed on a meeting on the sideline of the Arab summit on March 28 that the file of the Darfur crisis be placed under the supervision of King Abdullah and that the Sudanese Government should coordinate its dealings with the United Nations and the international community through Saudi Arabia, so that no direct confrontations take place with the international community, and in order to avoid pressures exerted on it at present on the issue of deploying international forces in the province which is witnessing an armed conflict.

Al-Hayat said there was a trend to stop continued waving by the UN and the international community of imposing international or American sanctions on Khartoum, even though there is no agreement until on the composition and form of the forces that will be deployed Darfur. Some parties asked the Sudanese Government to show flexibility on receiving UN forces and deploying them in the province to protect civilians and those hurt by acts of violence. At the same time there is another strong trend advocating consolidation of the African forces in the province, under international supervision.

The "Octet" Committee convened in Riyadh on the sideline of the Arab summit on 28 March under the chairmanship of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz to discuss developments in Darfur. The participants were Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir; UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; Arab League Secretary-General Amr Musa; Islamic Conference Organization Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu; EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana; African Union Commission Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare; the current head of IGAD Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

The Riyadh Summit made promises to the Sudanese Government to contribute in the reconstruction of Darfur and marginalized regions as well as regions hurt by acts of violence in the province.

The Sudanese Government, as it continues to uphold the resolutions of the Abuja agreement and seeks to bolster them, has asked the UN, the international community, the donor states, and Arab funds to exert pressure on the factions that have not signed the agreement so far in order to speed up its implementation.

Meanwhile, sources cited the Sudanese President’s adviser, Mustafa Osman Ismail as professing that he was still not optimistic regarding the real intentions of the international community towards Sudan because of the feeling that it could use the Darfur problem as a pretext to implement a hidden agenda in Sudan and the region.

At the conclusion of its sessions yesterday, the Arab Summit affirmed the importance of continuation of efforts by the Sudanese Government and the AU to establish security and stability in Darfur. It called on the AU, in collaboration with the UN and the Arab League, to sponsor political mediation between the Sudan Government and the non-signatories of Abuja in order to work out a comprehensive political settlement.

The summit welcomed the outcome of the four-party summit held in Tripoli last February 21 at the initiative of the Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi with the participation of the leaders of Sudan, Eritrea and Chad, to which some of the leaders of armed non-signatory movements were attended and which was devoted to the search for a negotiated peaceful settlement to the Darfur conflict.

The summit called upon the member states that have not paid their financial contributions in backing the AU to honour the commitments arising from the Khartoum Summit’s resolutions.

It called on the armed groups that have not signed the Darfur Peace Agreement to renounce military escalation. It urged the international community to exert efforts to prevent antagonism to the agreement through military action or fanning tribal fanaticism inside the camps of the displaced and the refugees. It welcomed the desire of the Sudanese Government to enter into dialogue with these groups without affecting the Abuja Agreement.

The Riyadh Summit asked the Arab and African nations to increase their participation in the forces and supervisors of the AU Mission in Darfur, so as to emphasize the importance of the AU Mission in dealing with the crisis in accordance with the peace agreement that has been signed.

It reiterated that sending any other forces to Darfur requires consultations and the prior consent of the Sudan Government.

It called on the international community at the same time to honour its pledges towards support and implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement and to provide the necessary consolidation, including material consolidation to the AU Mission in Darfur to complete its mission.

The Arab leaders agreed to call on member states, organizations and collective Arab action bodies; Arab finance and investment funds; Arab chambers of trade; Arab NGOs, and the Arab private sector to take part in the "Arab Conference for Supporting and Remedying Humanitarian Conditions in Darfur", projected for the first quarter of this year in Khartoum, with the aim of providing tangible Arab support in contributing to meeting the humanitarian needs created by the conflict and helping the speedy return of the Darfur refugees and displaced to their homes.

Saturday 31 March 2007 11:05.

(ST)