Sudanese opposition leader returns from exile in Britain

By Sudanese TV

KHARTOUM, Dec 22, 2003 — The chairman of the of the Beja Congress-General HQ, Dr Muhammad Sharif Muhammad Ahmad, arrived in the country today from Britain.

He was received at Khartoum Airport by Dr Kamal Ubayd, the secretary of foreign relations at the [governing party] National Congress and Dr Sadiq al-Melek [last element phonetic], the minister of health in the Red Sea State [eastern Sudan].

In a statement to the TV, he said his return was dictated by the conditions in the country and the move towards peace and comprehensive reconciliation.

[Ahmad] My return basically followed a call from the people inside the country. As you know, the Beja Congress is composed of two factions, one is the General HQ and the second is the Asmara- based group. We consider this [factionalism] to be over since the formation in 1998 of the General HQ.

BBC Monitoring Middle East