Sudanese government to meet with rebels in autumn CAIRO: China has responded to Western criticism of its role in the Darfur crisis, attributing media criticism to jealousy, according to its Special Representative to the Darfur Issue Liu Guijin. Ambassador Guijin held a press conference at the Chinese embassy in Cairo Thursday where he talked about the latest developments in Darfur, having met with Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit earlier that day as well as the vice secretary general of the Arab League. "There are some criticisms from quarters of the Western media saying China is responsible for genocide in Darfur, Guijin said, "their logic is that taxes paid on Chinese oil projects are used by the Sudanese government to suppress the rebels in Darfur. Guijin said, "That is totally baseless, that is totally groundless. It's true that a Chinese oil company began drilling in 1996, but this is normal commercial activities in the energy sector. It is transparent, it is open. "The root cause of Darfur is lack of development, he added, "it is poverty, it is lack of resources. The representative clarified that the oil joint venture in not only Chinese, but also has Malaysian and Indian partners, who own more than 50 percent of the project. He also pointed out that French oil company Total had the rights of exploration in Southern Sudan but pulled out. After the peace accords between the North and South, a British oil company got the rights, and Total then sued them in a London court. "Maybe some countries are not happy with China, maybe they feel jealous of their presence there, and so are politicizing the Chinese oil presence in Sudan Guijin said. "Darfur is very complicated, Guijin continued, "there are also ethnic considerations. He said that he had paid a visit to Darfur and leaders had told him that the fighting had now become intra and inter tribal. "It's not as simple as the belief that Arab people kill black people, he said. Additionally, "There is the colonial legacy, Guijin said, "the colonial masters deliberately demarcated the borders so tribes are split between Chad and Darfur, he said referring to the spilling of the conflict into Chad. There is criticism of China in the West, where there is a belief that China is supporting the Sudanese government economically and militarily to suppress the rebel factions of Darfur. There have even been calls to boycott the 2008 Beijing Olympics because of the Darfur issue. Guijin's response to this was "the link between the 2008 Olympic games and Darfur is ridiculous. We are confident that the 2008 Olympics will be a success. As for his meeting with Aboul Gheit and the Arab League representative, Guijin said they had exchanged ideas on Darfur and that "China, Egypt and the Arab League hold identical views on Darfur. [All] want a political solution and are committed to the three-phase Annan plan. The three-phase plan for Darfur set by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan was widely accepted by the international community as well as the Sudanese government. The third step is the introduction of a hybrid peacekeeping force comprised of African Union (AU) and UN troops which the Sudanese government has recently agreed to. China has decided to send 275 engineering troops for this third phase. "We should stick to a political solution for Darfur, Guijin said, "sanctions, embargos; pressures will not solve the issue. On the contrary it would be counterproductive. We should [also] respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Sudanese government while looking out for the interests of the all the parties concerned. Guijin encouraged the West to get involved in alleviating the situation in Darfur. "We encourage Western governments to get involved in Darfur. We don't have direct links with the rebels. The rebels have offices in the West, stay in luxurious hotels when they meet them. We hope the [West convinces them] not to harden their position because they think the West supports them, he said. The representative also announced that the Sudanese government and rebel forces will meet in autumn. "The Sudanese government indicated it is ready to hold negotiations with the rebel leaders, Guijin said. The Darfur conflict has sparked a widespread humanitarian crisis since rebel factions and government-supported militia the Janjaweed began fighting in 2003. Some 200,000 people have been killed and over two million displaced since then. The Sudanese government disputes these figures, putting the death toll at 9,000. "Although there are improvements in the security and humanitarian issues we are still faced with serious problems, Guijin said, "the international community should work together to promote a comprehensive ceasefire. We think the joint efforts of the European Union and Arab League are needed. Guijin came to Egypt after visits to South Africa and Addis Ababa. He is due to head to Sudan, and Darfur after his Cairo visit ends.
