DOHA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Abdullah al-Mahmoud Tuesday said the second round of talks on Darfur peace is expected to start within the next three weeks in Doha.

    Al-Mahmoud made the remarks to reporters following a meeting with the African Union and United Nations joint chief mediator forDarfur Djibril Bassole and the representatives based in Doha of the Sudanese government and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), one of the main rebel military organizations.

    The minister stressed the JEM's commitment to continuing its negotiation with the Sudanese government in order to find a permanent solution to the Darfur issue.

    He also said Darfur peace process is open to all and that there were other parties wishing to be engaged in the peace talks.

    Under the mediation of Qatar, the representatives of Sudanese government and the JEM started on Feb. 10 their first round of peace talks since 2007, reaching a framework agreement to end the six-year conflict in Darfur.

    Other rebel groups in Darfur boycotted the week-long Doha talks, claiming that the talks would be helpful for the Sudanese government to confront steps to be taken by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the Sudanese president.