An Arab push for peace
Arabs are attempting to enhance stability in Sudan. Dina Ezzat reports
In an unprecedented move, John Garang, leader of the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) who is known for entertaining little if any affection for Arabs, arrived this week at the Arab League for talks with Secretary- General Amr Moussa.
The meetings, which coincided with discussions Garang held in Cairo with top Egyptian government officials, focussed on potential Arab involvement in Sudan in a bid to maintain the unity of the country and discourage separation into two parts, a northern Arab state and a southern non- Arab state.
Garang spoke with Cairo officials about an Egyptian proposal to hold a three-way meeting with Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, Garang, and Othman Al-Mirghani, the leader of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA), an umbrella organisation including the SPLM among other groups.
At the Arab League, Garang discussed development projects in southern Sudan for which the league is raising funds. Garang also discussed the possibilities for peace in Sudan.
Garang was not the only Sudanese leader to have met with the Arab League and Egyptian government officials in the past few days. Al-Bashir and Al-Mirghani also recently held talks examining possible peace deals and development in Sudan.
These meetings came against the backdrop of the resumption of peace talks between the Sudanese government and southern opposition groups. The talks are sponsored by the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD), a grouping of East African countries, in association with Washington. To its disappointment and frustration, the DNA has been systematically excluded from the negotiations that started several months ago and which may produce a peace deal ending the civil strife that has plagued Sudan for so many years.
"I am hopeful that a peace deal could be reached this year," Garang said on Monday after meetings with Moussa.
However, also following a meeting with the secretary- general, Al-Mirghani said that "a peace deal that does not include everyone is not a comprehensive peace deal and therefore it is not a deal that can brings peace to Sudan."
Achieving an all-inclusive peace deal is a tricky objective. First of all, Khartoum and the SPLM have to reach agreement on hotly contested issues such as the sharing of power and wealth, and security and military arrangements. Then, they have to include the DNA in a way that is satisfactory for it to avoid a new power battle.
Sources have stated that the DNA is concerned that power divisions may exclude it, with the Khartoum government responsible for the north of the country and the SPLM in control of the south.
"What we see in the making now is simply a very unfair deal," Al-Mirghani said.
"This is why we should intensify our efforts to make sure that a real, comprehensive peace deal is reached, a peace deal that takes into consideration the views of every side," said one Arab League source. He added, "This was precisely the reason that back in January Secretary-General Moussa, following a visit to the north and south of Sudan, called on all the factions to meet in an all-inclusive meeting to agree on the future of a united Sudan where all Sudanese enjoy full rights."
Sources have also stated that the Arab League is glad that Egypt, "a key and indispensable country for peace-making in Sudan", is supporting an Al-Bashir-Garang-Al-Mirghani meeting.
Meanwhile, the league is concerned about what may unfold in Sudan after a peace deal is made.
The US has passed a Congressional act setting a deadline for the Sudanese government to reach a peace deal with opposition groups, primarily the SPLM, by the end of May. Sources expect that a deal could be reached in August. Once an agreement is reached, according to the Machakos Protocols signed last autumn between the Khartoum regime and the SPLM in Kenya, a referendum on unity should take place within six years.
"The objective is to make the choice of unity very attractive for all Sudanese and this is the focus of the attention of the Arab League -- to help make the choice of unity attractive," Moussa said.
To this end, the Arab League has created a fund dedicated to the development of southern Sudan. The Arab League is encouraging Arab states to agree on financing particular projects that will be pursued to develop the region. Commitments and allocations have already been made.
On the first of April in the Netherlands, the Arab League took part in an IGAD/Netherlands-sponsored international conference to exchange views on aid to Sudan with all concerned parties.
On Monday, "Moussa and Garang discussed potential cooperation between the Arab League and the SPLM," said one Arab League source. "Further consultations in the coming days should allow for an agreement on a joint mechanism for this purpose."
Later this month, the Arab League is going to send a delegation to southern Sudan to discuss potential development initiatives that will be financed either through the fund of the Arab organisation or by Arab states.
"I think what we are having here is a serious effort to secure peace, unity and development for Sudan," said one Arab diplomatic source. He added that the time has come for concerned Arab organisations to realise that unless they build confidence with all concerned parties in Sudan, Arab diplomacy will be excluded from future negotiations. He argued that if Arabs are left out, the future of the country will be manipulated by some Western countries seeking arrangements compatible with their plans for the exploitation of Sudan's recently-found oil reserves, most of which are located in the southern part of the country.
