Sudan’s Beshir reaches out to rebels to cement imminent peace deal

KHARTOUM, Oct 8 (AFP) — Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir on Wednesday invited the southern rebel group to form a partnership with the governing party here to cement what he predicts will be the end of Sudan’s 20-year civil war.

In a televised speech to the opening of the National Congress Party’s (NCP’s) national convention, Beshir said such a partnership was one of many steps needed to ensure peace endures after a final settlement.

He invited the Sudan People Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), led by John Garang, to enter “an effective political partnership for running the ruling affairs during the iterim period.”

Under a framework peace agreement struck in July last year in Kenya, the peoples of southern Sudan will enjoy six years of self-rule before voting in a referendum on whether to stay part of Sudan or secede.

In another breakthrough reached last month viewed as a major stepping stone to a final settlement, the two sides worked out security arrangements, including integrating some of their forces.

A partnership between the two sides would work toward “strengthening the foundations of peace, guaranteeing (Sudan’s) voluntary unity and giving others opportunities to participate,” Beshir told the biennial convention here.

Beshir, who chairs the NCP, also called for the establishment of a supreme peace council to serve as a national forum on which all Sudanese can participate to follow up a future peace deal.

He repeated a proposal for the lifting of “a state of emergency as soon as the final peace agreement is signed.”

He called for a new Sudan “based on freedom, justice, full citizenship,” and respect for the various ethnic and religious groups living in the country.

Beshir hailed US support for the Kenya-based negotiations and and looked forward to “a sound, healthy” relationship with the United States, which has long listed Sudan as a nation supporting terrorism.

However, he urged the United States “to adopt a fair attitude towards the issues of our Arab, African and Islamic world and its right to sovereignty and independent decision-making.”

Sudan has long backed Arab positions in favor of the Palestinians and in favor of an Iraq free from US occupation.

Attending the convention were 6,000 delegates from throughout Sudan as well as foreign diplomats.