Garang , Al Merghani’s envoy discuss talks between NDA, Sudan govt

KHARTOUM, May 23, 2005 (Sudan Tribune) — Mutaz Al-Fahal, special envoy of the chairman of the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani, arrived in Rumbek town in a surprise and unannounced visit to southern Sudan.

According to the Sudanese opposition Democratic Unionist Party website, Al Fahal was received by the leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), John Garang and the NDA Secretary General Pagan Amum.

Informed sources said the two leaders later held a meeting in which Al-Mirghani’s envoy briefed Garang on the reflections of the stalled Cairo talks describing the contentious issues between the government and the NDA.

He request the SPLM to play a role in building a consensus and remove barriers between the Sudanese government and the NDA. The meeting also discussed the next leadership meeting of the NDA which the SPLM was requested to attend.

The same sources said Al-Fahal’s visit to Rumbek was a continuation of coordination and strengthening of consultations between the SPLM and the NDA in the shadow of the current developments in Sudan.

Garang asserted that SPLM will do the necessary efforts to reactivate talks between government and the NDA. He also expressed the readiness of the SPLM to participate in the Cairo negotiations.