The Sudanese government on Wednesday reiterated its readiness for talks with Darfur rebels to be hosted by Qatar under the joint sponsorship of the Arab League and the African Union.
Samani al-Wasila, Sudanese minister of state for foreign affairs, told reporters that his government was ready for the next round of peace negotiations with the rebel movements in Darfur as a joint Arab-African initiative for the peace talks has won the support of the Sudanese people.
He said the government delegation would go to the negotiation table "with a full authorization."
The Sudanese official underlined his government's confidence in Qatar's efforts to garner the support of the international society for the joint Arab-African initiative calling for a quick resumption of peace talks between the Sudanese government and the Darfur rebel groups.
He urged the rebel movements to return to the negotiation table with "open hearts and clear views" in order to reach a solution to the Darfur crisis.
No tangible progress has been achieved since the Sudanese government and a main rebel group signed the Darfur Peace Agreement in Abuja, Nigeria, in May 2006.
At the end of a month-long forum on the Darfur issue on Nov. 12, Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir announced an immediate ceasefire in Darfur to pave way for the resumption of the peace negotiations with the rebel movements.
Only one week later, the Sudanese army said its forces launched an attack on the rebels in Darfur, in retaliation for a series of attacks and robberies carried out by the rebel militants.