Riyadh – Khartoum – continued
Publication date: May 08, 2023 9:55 pm (KSA)
Riyadh confirmed yesterday that talks between representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces will continue in the coming days in the hope of achieving an effective and temporary ceasefire so that humanitarian aid can be delivered to those in need. A statement released yesterday on the matter said that, with the generous reception of the Kingdom, representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces began preliminary negotiations in Jeddah on Saturday, May 6, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America called on both sides to seriously engage in negotiations to achieve the following goals: an effective short-term ceasefire, work to facilitate emergency humanitarian access, restore essential services, and establish a timetable for expanded negotiations to achieve a final ceasefire. fighting. Both sides declared their responsibility to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people, including reaching an agreement on security measures to facilitate the arrival of urgent humanitarian aid and restore essential services to those in need. Both parties have begun consideration of a Declaration of Commitment to Protect Civilians and Promote and Respect Humanitarian Action in the Sudan. The two sides have also begun discussing the security measures they should take to facilitate urgent humanitarian access and restore basic services in Sudan. in accordance with the Declaration of Principles. The Kingdom and the United States of America welcomed the commitment of both sides to a constructive approach based on mutual respect and urged each of them to respect the existing ceasefire and refrain from any provocative actions on the ground to maintain a positive atmosphere. for ongoing preliminary negotiations. Negotiations continued on May 7 and will continue in the following days in the hope of achieving an effective and temporary ceasefire so that humanitarian aid can be delivered to those in need. In addition, His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister for Foreign Affairs, received a phone call yesterday from the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Mr. Josep Borrell. During the call, developments in the Republic of Sudan were discussed, and both sides also considered the development of a Saudi-American initiative to host representatives of the two sides in the city of Jeddah, which aims to prepare the necessary ground for dialogue to reduce the level of tension there. The parties also discussed the latest developments in the regional and international arena and the most important issues of mutual interest. In Cairo, the Council of the Arab League decided at the ministerial level to form an Arab Ministerial Contact Group, which includes: Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the Secretary General of the Arab League, to liaise with the Sudanese parties. , influential countries at the regional and international levels, as well as relevant international organizations and factions, to resolve the crisis in Sudan, and make efforts to achieve a complete and lasting ceasefire, and work to eliminate the causes of the crisis in a way that is in line with the aspirations of the Sudanese people and his desire for stability and security. The Council confirmed – in the resolution it adopted entitled “Development of the situation in the Republic of the Sudan” at the end of its emergency session, which was chaired by Egypt – that the Arab Contact Group at ministerial level would take over the coordination with the General Secretariat of the League and international organizations and UN bodies to provide urgent humanitarian and medical assistance to civilians and internally displaced persons in Sudan through the relevant authorities, as well as to those seeking asylum in neighboring countries who are accepting refugees to help bear the growing burden, and also urge Arab and international countries – donors to provide humanitarian assistance to the Sudanese people. The Council called for the need to fully respect the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Sudan, not to interfere in its internal affairs, to treat the current crisis as an internal affair of Sudan, to preserve state institutions and prevent their collapse, and to prevent outside interference in the affairs of Sudan in order to avoid fueling conflict and threats to regional peace and security. He also asked the Secretary General of the League of Arab States to follow up on what was stated in that decision and keep the Council informed of developments. South Africa welcomes start of talks The South African Foreign Ministry said the South African government welcomes the start of pre-negotiation talks between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, which began in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on May 6. 2023. “South Africa also joins the African Union in expressing its appreciation to the Kingdom and the United States for facilitating and leading the pre-negotiation talks, and to the Sudanese parties for their direct participation at the negotiating table,” the statement said. The South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed the importance of the role of the African Union and the Intergovernmental Development Organization (IGAD) in the negotiations between the two parties to the conflict in Sudan to ensure durable solutions to the problems in Sudan. The Ministry reiterated its appeal to the two parties to the conflict in Sudan to reach an agreement that would end the ongoing conflict in the country and alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people.