Sudan said to negotiate with eastern rebels

KHARTOUM, Feb 19, 2005 (Al-Khartoum) — The secretary-general of the Beja Congress for Reform and Development, Osman Bawnin, said that the government would be negotiating with the Beja through two separate forums, one for the armed faction and the other for the Congress for Reform and Development.

He pointed out that his party had recently held a meeting regarding this issue with the political secretary of the ruling National Congress, Majdhub al-Khalifah, in which they had agreed to activate this joint mechanism.

He said that the Beja Congress had carried out all the demands made to it, affirming that their aim was to unify the Beja in Sudan pointing out that the party had visited both Kassala and Port Sudan for the same purpose.

Bawnin added that the ruling party and the Beja Congress had signed an agreement last October to activate dialogue between them and added that members of the Beja Congress for Reform and Development had been dissatisfied with the delay by the ruling party in activating the joint negotiation committees.

Material provided by the BBC Monitoring Service.