Arab media

February 7 , 2008

Source: Al Ahram (government-friendly, Egyptian daily with over 1 million in circulation)
Headline: Justice and Equality Movement Accuses Khartoum of Trying to Topple Deby
By: Asma Al Husseini

• Justice and Equality Movement denied involvement in defending the regime of Idriss Deby against rebel forces in Chad and accused Sudanese government of fighting along Chadian rebel forces to topple him
• The movement indicated that Khartoum’s aim was to control Darfur crisis by creating a friendly regime next door

Source: Al Ahram (government-friendly, Egyptian daily with over 1 million in circulation)
Headline: French Minister of Defense in Chad and Chadian Prime Minister Accuses Libya of Supporting the Rebels

• A day after President Sarkozy announced French readiness to support Idriss Deby’s regime, his minister of defense arrived in Chad and warned rebel forces against any new attacks on the government
• Chadian rebel forces countered that any French involvement would only make the situation worse
• Meanwhile, Chadian prime minister accused Libya of arming Chadian rebels and derided African mediation efforts led by Al Qaddhafi as a Mockery

Source: Addustour (Government-friendly, Jordanian daily enjoys wide circulation)
Headline: Ethiopia and Bangladesh Offer Helicopters to Darfur Hybrid Force

• Zalmay Khalilzad said that Ethiopia and Bangladesh offered to loan Hybrid force helicopters to transport troops and equipment in the vast region of Darfur
• At the same time, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon announced progress regarding hybrid force status negotiations with Sudan
• He said that the Sudanese government signaled that it would sign the status agreement next week
• The signing of the status agreement was slowed down when Sudan demanded that night flights be grounded and asserted the right to cut the force communication when it (Sudan) was conducting security operations

Source: Al Khaleej (UAE daily, with over 80,000 in circulation)
Headline: Sudanese Army Ready for Any Chadian Attack

• Sudanese army was placed on high alert on worries of a Chadian or Darfur rebels attack
• Sudan reiterated its non-involvement in recent fighting in Chad but took Chadian minister of foreign affairs’ threat to invade seriously
• Meanwhile, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement parliament member Ahemd Issa plans to call the minister of defense to come before the Parliament to answer question about the Chadian accusations

Source: Al Jazeera (Leading Arabic News Channel, headquartered in Qatar)
Headline: Darfur Rebel Group Denies Helping Chadian President
By: Mahmoud Jumaa

• During a conference organized by Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo, Justice and Equality Movement denied having any forces in Chadian capital N’Djamena fighting along side President Deby
• It added that its forces were only active in Sudan and warned that Chadian threats to go after Chadian rebels inside Sudan, would further destabilize Darfur region
• The movement indicated that it was a nationalist movement fighting for a federal system in Sudan as the solution to Darfur crisis
• It explained that failure of peace talks in Libya were due to lack of preparations and absence of influential rebel groups
• The movement also criticized US role in Darfur and its emphasis on the security issue at the expense of a comprehensive political and security solution

Source: Al Hayat (Saudi-owned Pan-Arab daily with wide circulation)
Headline: Sudan Says It Convinced Chadian Rebel Forces to Withdraw from N’Djamena
By: Annour Ahmed Annour

• Sudan reiterated its denial of providing any support to Chadian rebel groups to topple Deby’s regime and indicated that it convinced the rebels to withdraw from the capital N’Djamena
• Sudanese minister of defense explained that Sudan has no desire in creating instability next door because it would impact the situation in Darfur
• He added that his government closed its borders to Chadian rebels after failure of peace talks between Chadian rebels with their government in Libya