FACTBOX-Sudan's new Darfur negotiator

Tue Jun 16, 2009 11:41am EDT

June 16 (Reuters) - Sudan's new chief negotiator in the Darfur conflict said on Tuesday Khartoum was ready to call a fresh ceasefire in the region and was exploring new ways to end its related war with Chad.

Later the same day, Ghazi Salaheddin was also due to fly to Washington for a conference on the peace deal that ended Sudan's other great conflict -- the two-decade civil war between its north and south.

Below are some facts on the man who, some analysts say, may be taking Sudan's stance on the Darfur conflict in a less confrontational direction.

* Salaheddin is a long-time government insider who has held a string of top posts and is said to be close to Sudan's president Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

* His conciliatory approach to negotiations is in marked contrast to the more confrontational styles of his two predecessors in the Darfur job. "He is seen as a man of the mind before action," said one Khartoum-based analyst.

* The presidential adviser played a key role in negotiating the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended two decades of civil war between north and south Sudan. He advised Bashir on the south and led the Khartoum delegation in key talks.

* Salaheddin was reportedly close to Sudan's Islamist ideologue Hassan al-Turabi in the early part of the regime that came to power in a coup in 1989. But when Turabi was ousted after a bitter split with Bashir, Salaheddin backed the president.

* The fluent English speaker and qualified doctor received a Phd in Clinical Biochemistry from Britain's University of Surrey in 1985. He was also an active member of Sudan's trade union movement in the 1980s. (Reporting by Andrew Heavens; Editing by Giles Elgood)



Comments (0)
This discussion is now closed. We welcome comments on our articles for a limited period after their publication.