The Winds of Peace

Opening remarks by Professor Alpha Oumar Konare, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, at the Inter- Sudanese Peace Talks on Darfur, delivered in Sirte, Libya on Saturday 27 October 2007.

“Brother Leader of the Revolution of the Great Arab Libyan Jamahiriya

Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Brother Leader,

Thank you for your presence here today, at this important opening ceremony. Thank you for having agreed to host this meeting here in the Great Jamahiriya. Thank you for all the efforts you have continuously deployed on the Darfur file: Sirte today, Tripoli I yesterday, Tripoli II the day before… Over the last four years, you and some of your brothers have invested a lot to help our Sudanese brothers once again find the road to peace. And this is consistent with your commitment, which made it possible to launch the African Union from this great city of Sirte on 9 September 1999. As Salim Ahmed Salim rightly recalled, Sirte is for us a symbol; it is here that the African Union was conceived; it is here that the impetus needed by this organisation has often been infused.

Brother Leader,

Allow me to also acknowledge the Secretary-General of the United Nations and all his colleagues, as well as the UN Security Council for their continued support. I must also particularly commend our special envoys, Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim and Mr. Jan Eliasson for all the work they have done so far. May I also congratulate all the authorities and, at their head, our brother Adada, for the trust we have placed in them to oversee the Darfur problem.

Brother Leader,

Please allow me to salute our numerous partners who are present here this afternoon for the material and political support they have always given us. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge all the neighbouring countries to Darfur who have also contributed, and all African countries for demonstrating their solidarity with the Sudanese people by offering to contribute troops and providing other forms of support.

Brother Leader,

In addressing this assembly today, I cannot help remembering John Garang, a great Sudanese, a great African, a great freedom fighter and a great fighter for the unity of Sudan. Also allow me to remember our brother, Majoub Khalifa, who headed the Sudanese government delegation in Abuja and who departed from us in such tragic circumstances.

Brother Leader, our thoughts rest, of course, with the suffering people of the Sudan.

Brother Leader, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I cannot help asking myself a humbling question when we are told at the beginning of this meeting, which has not even started, that the meeting is headed for failure. What failure are we talking about? Do we have any choice but to make peace? Who amongst us really believes that it is through arms, through a military solution that we can possibly resolve this painful problem? We have no other choice but peace! Today this conference table is available to us. Of course, we wish that more of our brothers were here with us, but those who are here will ably speak for the others. Those who are here represent the winds of peace. The dialogue that begins today is a process. We know, and we must recognize that many others who would have liked to be here and who may join us later, also have questions.

We must recognize that over the past few days much has been done to weaken the scope of this meeting. There was Haskanita, which happened right after the Arusha consultations. Also, some of our brothers who were in Juba have not joint us. There has also been a media campaign to paint those who have come here as traitors and those who have not come as the true heroes. But true heroism today consists in having the courage to go to peace. I would like each of us here today to understand that we do not have time to waste. Of course, time is needed, but we have had time and we will have time here to continue the discussions, so those who want more time should come to the talks. Those who think that they need more unity should come here and we will help them achieve unity. Let me make it clear that the fragmentation of the movements is not helpful to anybody - the movements must not be divided. The movements must unite within and between them, and we must not divide the movements because that will not help move us forward. In Abuja there were three movements, today there are more than 20 and if we delay, there may soon be 30, 40 or 50 movements. We risk a disaster if we delay any further.

I call upon all to think of the people in the camps, those in exile… the lives they live, lives without a future, the suffering they have endured, the hunger, the youth without hope, the thousands who have died…

Should we wait before providing them with answers? Do you think that the people in the camps can wait much longer? Do you think that the people in the camps can continue living in such conditions? Do you think the men fighting on the ground are willing to die? I refuse to believe that the leaders of the Movements are not cognizant of all these.

That is why, Brother Leader, I am hopeful that the negotiations which begin today will be enlarged in the coming days by more participants. I am convinced that if all of us - the African Union, the United Nations and all our international partners, as well as Sudan’s neighbours and all African countries – join hands and speak with one voice, peace will be achieved. Therefore, I urge that together with our international partners, we all speak with one voice. This is the moment of truth and truth must be told. Beyond the formal speeches, if our endeavours in the back chambers of the negotiation process do not lead us to invite all and sundry to peace, history will not judge us kindly.

We must speak with one voice to the government of the Sudan, so that it would honour its commitments. We must speak with one voice to the government of the Sudan so that as soon as possible, we can agree on a compromise to enable the deployment of the hybrid operation, because we need to provide security to the people and confidence to our troops. We must urge the Sudanese government to commit to the declaration of a ceasefire. Together, we must encourage the Sudanese government to reach a better understanding with the SLM. Together, we must urge the Sudanese government to do everything to save the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), launch an appeal to President Al Bashir, launch the same appeal to Vice President Salva Kiir to save the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and ensure that it does not become an obstacle to peace in Darfur.

Together, Brother Leader, we must speak with one voice and tell our brothers of the movements that it is here in Sirte and now that peace begins. Peace is a process that will be achieved and peace must lead to a democratic Sudan. Our brothers of the movements need to understand that the military option is futile and will not lead to victory. In speaking to our brothers of the movements, we must have the courage to recognize that everything that is currently happening on the field in terms of attacks, comes from the movements, from bandits and also sometimes from internal struggles within the movements. Our brothers of the movements also need to commit to a ceasefire, so that the situation can be brought under control and Sudan can have a chance at peace.

Brother Leader,

We must, obviously, agree with our partners on certain principles, the first being that we do not have any secret agenda other than peace in the Sudan and that the unity and sovereignty of the Sudan are paramount. These are important issues and everyone needs to understand that the goal of these negotiations is neither to overthrow the current institutions in the Sudan, nor to hand the movements over to the government. All we wish to do is create an environment for Sudanese brothers to exchange views, to accept each other in all their differences, and make sure that the immense wealth of the Sudan benefits all the people of the Sudan.

Brother Leader,

Together with our partners, we must also agree that never again shall we tolerate another Haskanita. What happened in that town was terrible. At sunset, just when it was time to break the fast, soldiers of peace were attacked. In the morning, right around dawn, at the start of fasting our soldiers were attacked. It is no surprise that nobody has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Let me say it loud and clear that those who committed this crime will be held accountable in court; we shall never tolerate another Haskanita. With the United Nations, we shall investigate this to the end and I hope that the Sudanese government and all the people of the Sudan will remain supportive of the soldiers of peace to whom I now pay tribute. Our soldiers of peace are there to serve the Sudanese people . Though unarmed, they were slaughtered at dawn and dusk. I believe that we must recognize that crimes and attacks against soldiers of peace and against humanitarian workers constitute war crimes and will be treated as such. That’s where we are going and I hope that everyone here understands that.

We shall do everything for our brothers to come. We shall do everything to reassure those who are not here today that here in Libya, with the support of Brother Leader, they will have all guarantees for free and fair dialogue. However, those who reject the conference table must understand that their refusal to engage in dialogue is tantamount to an act of war. On this issue, I hope that our partners and us speak with one voice. We would be derelict in our duties if we did not work together to get everyone around the table. We cannot consider as heroes, people who - despite all assurances - refuse to come to peace. We are prepared to offer all necessary assurances, so that everyone can come and speak freely. What they are saying to the media can be said here in all freedom.

I would like to say to each of you that this is the time to demonstrate responsibility. People of Sudan, we must be conscious of our responsibilities and not allow anyone to take advantage of us and of the misery of our people. Twenty four hours ago, were learned that 100 children from Darfur, Sudan were bound for France. But thanks to the high sense of responsibility of the Chadian and French governments, the operation which was dubbed “1000 children for Darfur” was blocked. The children of Darfur need to be helped in Darfur, their future is in Darfur. We will refrain from making any further comments on this matter while waiting for the investigation to run its course. However, no one has more responsibility for Darfur than the people of Sudan; no one shoulders more responsibility for what is happening today than we, Africans, with the support of the international community.

Brother Leader,

We are convinced that under your leadership, and thanks to the patriotism of all our Sudanese brothers, both of the government and the movements, Sirte, we hope will mark the beginning of a process that will lead us to lasting peace in Darfur.

Brother Leader,

I am convinced of that because barely 48 hours ago, right here in Sirte and under your high patronage, our brothers from Chad gathered around President Deby and concluded an agreement. That agreement is important for Darfur. The agreement is essential for Darfur, though we recognize that it will first and foremost consolidate the needed stability of Chad. We wish President Deby and our Chadian brothers great success in its implementation. We wish every success to the European operation scheduled to be deployed in Chad, to bring relief to the suffering people of Chad. But the European operation is for Chad, not Darfur. This must be stated clearly, in order to avoid any confusion, even though we recognize that peace in Chad can help the current situation in Darfur.

Brother Leader,

Thank you again for your support. We thank the people of Libya for their support. We thank our Sudanese brothers for their presence and look forward to welcoming those who are not here; we will do everything to enable them to be here.

The seeds for peace in Darfur shall be planted in Sirte. The dialogue will take place in Sirte, and I am convinced that Darfur will lead to lasting peace in Sudan, a country we love so dearly. Sudan cannot win without peace, and victory for Sudan is undoubtedly victory for Africa, victory for African solidarity, for the African Union, for a responsible Africa and for the United States of Africa. Now is the time for us to demonstrate a sense of responsibility if we do not want others to handle our issues. Let us solve our own problems. Here is an opportunity for Africa to shoulder its responsibilities.

Brother Leader, thank you very much.”

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