Sudan’s PCP denies Bashir’s acceptance of interim government
April 21, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP) has denied statements attributed to its foreign relations secretary, Bashir Adam Rahma, claiming that president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir agreed to form a transitional government for two years.
In an interview with the Qatari Al-Watan newspaper on Sunday Rahma said that Bashir accepted the transitional government which will administrate the country during the national dialogue process.
He added the transitional government would last for a maximum of two years, noting it would adopt a program to stop the war, address the issue of refugee return, and reform the civil service and foreign relations before to hold general elections.
However, the PCP political secretary, Kamal Omer Abdel-Salam, described in a press conference on Monday the statements about forming an interim government as “jumping over stages”, pointing the national dialogue is still in its early stages.
Abdel-Salam further accused unnamed parties within the government and the opposition of leaking the statements in order to hinder the national dialogue process, without elaboration.
He underscored existence of contacts between his party and the opposition forces which refused to take part in the national dialogue and rebel groups in order to convince them to engage in it.
He also pointing to a meeting of the PCP leader, Hassan Al-Turabi with the deputy chairman of the opposition National Umma Party (NUP), Fadl Allah Burma Nasser. The two parties accepted to participate in the process.
Last January, the president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir called upon opposition parties and rebel groups to engage in a comprehensive national dialogue to end war and restore democracy in Sudan.
The opposition alliance of the National Consensus Forces (NCF) refused Bashir’s call for dialogue and instead proposed forming a transitional government and holding a national conference with the participation of rebel groups to discuss a peaceful solution for the conflicts in Darfur region, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile states before to adopt a new democratic constitution.
The rebel alliance of the Susan Revolutionary Forces (SRF), also rejected Bashir’s call for dialogue and demanded the government to hold direct talks with them to negotiate a cessation of hostilities and open humanitarian access to civilians in the rebel areas.
Abdel-Salam pointed to ongoing consultations between the opposition parties which took part in the dialogue and the registrar of political parties and organisations in order to select representatives of the opposition parties in the dialogue and set up coordinating body to form dialogue’s committees.
He said the PCP met with several national and Islamic parties besides regional groups from Darfur, Blue Nile, and South Kordofan to ensure inclusiveness of the national dialogue process, noting that dialogue is the primary means for solving the country’s crises.
The PCP official revealed that his party has developed a strategic plan to unify the Islamic Movement (IM) all over the world, saying the Islamic forces adhere to issues of democracy and freedoms more than the secular forces.
He said the strategic plan represents the official stand of his party and noted it was adopted against the will of the western countries, calling for the unification of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the NUP, which are now divided in several factions in order to enable Sudanese people make their choices.
(ST)