Khartoum wants negotiations with Darfur rebel groups to be completed within two months, ahead of the April presidential and legislative elections, a senior official has said.
GoNU Minister of Culture, Amin Hassan Omar, said in Doha, the capital of Qatar, late yesterday that some Darfur groups are demanding more time, Agence France-Presse reported.Mr. Omar added that the government told mediators that time is running out and that negotiations must not exceed the third week of March.
The minister told reporters in the Qatari capital that Sudanese government officials and rebel groups present in Doha have not been yet involved in direct talks.
He added that consultations are being held with mediators from the United Nations, African Union and from Qatar.
Representatives from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) on Saturday held consultations with mediators to resolve “questions of procedure” before direct negotiations.
The Doha talks follow two rounds of talks with Khartoum government officials in Qatar in February and May 2009.