Mahdi calls on Mbeki to amend Sudan Roadmap Agreement

March 24, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – The leader of the opposition National Umma Party (NUP) Sadiq al-Mahdi called on the chairperson of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) Thabo Mbeki to amend the Roadmap Agreement and to persuade Khartoum to accept it.

Al-Mahdi Thursday further said that the parties participating at the strategic meeting from 18- to 21 March were on the verge of reaching a milestone agreement, and blamed the mediation for not taking the necessary time to consider the position of the opposition forces.

In a written and audio statement, released from Cairo where he is living since the signing of Paris Call declaration with the armed groups in August 2014, al-Mahdi said the Roadmap Agreement included several positive points such as the cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access before to reach a peace agreement, and the need to hold a pre-dialogue meeting outside the country to prepare for an inclusive conference inside Sudan.

However al-Mahdi stressed they have reservations on three points included in the framework text related to the national dialogue and referred to the paragraph 3, 3-1 and 3-2.

The opposition groups it its draft Roadmap Agreement seen by Sudan Tribune demanded to change paragraph (3) which says that the national dialogue “started in Khartoum in October 2015″. to ”the government has commenced its initiative (on the dialogue) in Khartoum in October, 2015”.

Further they proposed to add “other important political formations” to the paragraph 3-1 where the Roadmap acknowledges the need to hold an inclusive national dialogue by including the four opposition groups.

The last amendment suggests that the ”government” should also added as participant in the pre-dialogue meeting and not only the “dialogue coordination committee” as provided in the Roadmap Agreement.

Al-Mahdi said the purpose of the last amendment is to commit the government itself to implement the outcome of pre-dialogue meeting.

On Wednesday the chairperson of the African Union Commission Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma issued an ultimatum to the opposition forces asking them to sign the roadmap before the 28 March.

The African Union Peace and Security Council is expected to endorse the agreement and demand to the UN Security Council to support it and approves it as a basis for a comprehensive political solution in Sudan.

KHARTOUM REJECTS AMENDMENTS

The Sudanese government Thursday, said the the Roadmap Agreement is definitive and cannot be modified, closing the door on any further discussion with the opposition groups.

The items of the signed roadmap cannot be subjected to change, supplementation or deletion,” said a member of the government negotiating delegation Abdel Rahman Abu Midian in statements to the semi-official Sudanese Media Center (SMC).

Abu Midian added that the meetings with the opposition groups once they sign it will deal with the security, humanitarian issues besides the national dialogue, adding its outcome will be compulsory for all the parties.

Also, following a meeting held on Thursday, the NCP leadership called on the Sudanese political forces inside and outside the country to join the national dialogue process.

The ruling party further described the Roadmap Agreement as “a major breakthrough” to end the armed conflicts in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states and Darfur region.

(ST)