Sudanese president meets opposition leaders; appeals for national unity

By Sudanese TV

KHARTOUM, Jan 04, 2004 — Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir on Sunday held a rare meeting with the leaders of all political parties in Sudan at a special ceremony at the general secretariat of the Council of Ministers in Khartoum.

Among the prominent leaders at the meeting, broadcast live by state TV, were the Ummah Party chairman and former Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi, as well as Muhammad Al-Amin Khalifah, an official in the Islamist opposition Popular National Congress.

In a brief speech to mark the golden jubilee of the Council of Ministers and country’s independence from Britain, Al-Bashir appealed for national unity and urged the opposition to work together with the government in order to build a bright future for the country.

“At this historic meeting, in which we have invited the chairmen [of political parties] and the heads of [federal state] governments and ministers, I call upon all the political forces inside and outside country to work together to achieve the objectives and the noble aspirations of our people and the hopes for a tomorrow… and a future which is bright, God willing.”

BBC Monitoring Newsfile