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Darfur Peace Talks Resume in Nigeria

African Union sponsored talks seeks political solution to crisis

Peace talks sponsored by the African Union aimed at finding a political solution to the crisis in Darfur resumed June 10 in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, a U.S. State Department spokesman said June 10.

The mediated talks between rebel groups and the Sudenese government began even though not all rebel representatives had yet arrived for the opening session, the State Department spokesman said. The next plenary session was scheduled for June 11.

John Yates, retired ambassador to the Republic of Cameroon and the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, and a senior U.S. team are attending the talks to lend support and encourage the parties to remain engaged, the State Department spokesman said.

Following is the transcript of the question and answer on the peace talks taken at the State Department briefing: 

(begin text)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
June 10, 2005

Question Taken at June 10, 2005 Daily Press Briefing

Darfur Peace Talks in Abuja

Question:  Can you give us an update on the peace talks in Abuja?

Answer:  The African Union mediated peace talks that resumed today (June 10) with an opening plenary session in Abuja, Nigeria.  The African Union urges all sides to take advantage of this opportunity and encourages all sides to negotiate in a constructive manner. 

Speakers included: African Union Chairman Konare; Dr. Salim Salim, the African Union’s chief mediator for the talks; Jan Pronk, United Nations Secretary-General Special Representative to Sudan; facilitators from Nigeria, Chad, and Libya; and representatives from the Government of Sudan, Darfur rebel groups, the European Union, and the Arab League.

Although not all rebel representatives had arrived yet for the opening session, the African Union was determined to begin.  All speakers reiterated their commitment to finding a political solution to the crisis in Darfur.  The next plenary session is planned for tomorrow (June 11).

Retired Ambassador John Yates and a senior U.S. team are attending the talks to lend support and help encourage the parties to remain engaged.  They urged all sides to take advantage of this opportunity to negotiate in good faith and build on the progress they made at the previous sessions.

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(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)