Four leading opposition figures prepare to meet in Paris

By Sudanese Media Centre

KHARTOUM, Nov. 18, 2003 — The secretary-general of the [opposition Islamist] PNC [Popular National Congress], Dr Hasan al-Turabi, is due to end his visit to Qatar today, in preparation for the quadripartite meeting which will gather the head of the [opposition] Ummah Party, Sadiq al-Mahdi; the leader of the [opposition] DUP [Democratic Unionist Party], Muhammad Uthman al-Mirghani; the leader of the [rebel] SPLM [Sudan People’s Liberation Movement], John Garang; and Dr Hasan al-Turabi in the French capital, Paris.

In a statement to SMC [Sudanese Media Centre], the secretary for legal affairs at the PNC, Kamal Umar, said the scenario of the meeting had not been specified yet and it was not known whether Al- Turabi would first return to Sudan or head directly to France from Qatar.

BBC Monitoring Middle East