HE the Premier Opens Darfur Donor Conference

Doha, April 07 (QNA) - HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani opened the International Donor Conference for Reconstruction and Development of Darfur at the Doha Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Sunday. The opening session was attended by Sudan's First Vice President Ali Osman Mohammad Taha, HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Ahmad bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud, regional and international partners for the peace in Darfur, as well as representatives of the donor countries and concerned regional and international organizations. Addressing the session, HE the Premier and Foreign Minister conveyed to the participants the greetings of HH the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and his hopes of success to the conference. HE the Premier also conveyed the greetings of HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani who is following up the conference with great attention. HE the Prime Minister stressed Qatar's full support for International Donor Conference for Reconstruction and Development of Darfur, and underlined that Qatar will exert every effort to ensure that the conference will come out with fruitful results that meet the expectations and aspirations of the people of Darfur. The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani stressed that the Conference culminates a rich path of work and achievements in peace-building and support to stability and development in Darfur, which started in 2008 as part of the Arab-African ministerial committee on Darfur chaired by the State of Qatar. Qatar's efforts have continued since then, with the adoption of a Peace Agreement on Darfur at the conclusion of the All Darfur Stakeholders Conference of 27-31 May 2011 in Doha intended as another milestone in the peace process, HE the Prime Minister said. In July 2011, the Sudanese government signed here a peace accord with the Liberation and Justice Movement (JEM), which is being successfully implemented. The signing of the final peace agreement between the Sudanese government and JEM yesterday in Doha represents an positive progress and a real achievement marking a headway towards the consolidation of peace, stability and the reconstruction and development process in Darfur, he added. The road to peace in Darfur was not easy and the peace process was not hasty or unplanned but far-sighted and with a broad horizon generating a just, lasting and comprehensive peace, HE the Prime Minister said. HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani urged the participants at the Donor Conference to further support Darfur saying that “this money will go to supporting Darfur and will not be wasted in vain." "Peace time has begun in Darfur. A peace that will be protected by development, not by force," the Prime Minister added. HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani said the war in Darfur has gone with all its woes and came time of peace in Darfur, hoping that peace would be guarded by development before being guarded by power, and protected by law under social justice and wise governance. He added that Darfur today is completely ready not only to receive grants and donations, which are essential at this stage, but also ready to received Arab and international investments, especially in the areas of agricultural production, livestock development and mining." HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister stressed that the experience of the joint mediation in Darfur was truly new, unique and successful, referring in this regard to the efforts exerted by the Arab League, the African Union and the United Nations in a coordinated diplomatic action in accordance with a studied approach and moves with calculated steps, specific goals and clear vision. So it was natural and logical that the results comes satisfactory on the political, economic and security levels, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim said. He explained that at the political level a regional authority was established in Darfur, which has set up its administrative structures, executive and legislative bodies and began to exercise its functions with confidence and efficiency in full coordination with the central authority in Khartoum and with the governors of Darfur five states and was able in short period of time to accomplish many of significant achievements. At the economic level, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim explained that the wheel of development started to move in Darfur's five states, pointing out in this respect to the road network which is now being built, the agricultural projects which returned to production after years of stoppage and the new agricultural projects which began production. He added the at the security level, the situation in Darfur in 2003 and the subsequent years cannot be compared to the current situation where peace became a reality and the limited and isolated operations in marginal areas of Darfur failed to shake this peace which is increasing becoming steady and firm, thus prompting many of the people in Darfur to leave the refugee camps and return to their villages. HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani noted that if peace was essential to advancing development, development is necessary for the sustainability of peace, consolidation of security and stability and acceleration of voluntary return pace, saying here comes the role of participants in this important conference. He stressed that when the State of Qatar agreed to head the Arab-African Committee on Darfur Peace, it did so out of its humanitarian and ethical responsibilities as well as its Arab obligations and Islamic values, pointing out that it has not been driven by certain agendas, did not exclude anyone, did not favour one party at the expense of another and did not distinguish between groups nor between movements. HE the Prime Minister said in this regard that the State of Qatar stood from all parties to the conflict at the same distance and its aim was to bring an end to the suffering of the people of Darfur, to achieve peace and to present a model to the world that the Arabs and Africans are capable of solving their own problems even if these problems were in the size of the Darfur crisis. He also stressed that the efforts of the State of Qatar were not limited to the political side as it paid special attention to Darfur. In this regard Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim referred to the initiative of HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani for the establishment of a development bank in Darfur with the capital of one billion dollars to address the repercussions of the war, to build hospitals and schools, to assist in the rehabilitation of agricultural and industrial system and to help small investors to pave the way for sustainable development in Darfur. HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani explained that the State of Qatar is currently implementing in Darfur a development programme to facilitate the voluntary return of displaced persons and refugees, saying that the project in the USD 31 million short term phase is targeting 150 thousand people , while in the USD 529 million medium term phase will target two million people in 45 village council distributed to 30 local and five states. He said " let us make the return of displaced persons and refugees to their original areas in Darfur our urgent mission. It is a task that needs big finance as there are tens of thousands of people in Darfur living for years in displacement camps t at home and in refugee camps in neighboring Chad, and the return of those requires the rehabilitation of their original areas by building houses, schools and hospitals so that they can return and resume their normal lives". HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani called on participants in this conference to allocate much in their programmes to education, saying increasing awareness and spread of education will deepen the culture of tolerance and will confirm conviction for peace and the futility of wars and conflicts, which only bring ruination and destruction. HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani commended all who made in effort for achieving peace and development in Darfur. HE the Prime Minister reserved a special mention for HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Abdullah Al Mahmoud, former Chief Mediators Djibril Bassole and former Joint African Union-United Nations Special Representative for Darfur Ibrahim Gambari as well as the current one Mohamed Ibn Chambas, representatives from the Arab League, United Nations, special envoys to Sudan and the UNAMID. HE the Prime Minister called on the remaining part to join the peace process as there is no time to waste. HE the Premier and Foreign Minister then addressed those who attended the conference and commended their efforts in helping Darfur recover and in providing the people of Darfur with hope. He also praised the people of Darfur for embracing the Doha Document for Peace since it was signed and thier commitment to realizing the Doha document which helped spread peace hope and confidence in a better future for the region. HE the Prime Minister concluded his speech by saying that the State of Qatar supports all efforts of the participants of the donors conference, expressing hope that the outcomes of the conference would meet the expectations of the people of Darfur. (QNA)