Sudan’s Beshir refuses to receive personally SPLM letter
October 14, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir on Sunday refused to receive personally a letter from former southern rebels detailing ways of resolving a crisis sparked by the southerners’ pullout from government.
He said Beshir instead delegated the Minister of Presidential Affairs, Bakri Hassan Saleh, to receive the letter.
“For us this is a negative signal, an escalation and negligence of our demands,” Goj said, adding that Mashar had travelled to Khartoum to personally hand the letter to Bashir.
The SPLM on Thursday suspended its participation in the central government, accusing Beshir’s ruling National Congress Party of failing to implement a 2005 north-south peace deal that ended Africa’s longest-running civil war.
The SPLM complained in particular about the failure of Khartoum’s troops to leave the south, the lack of progress on resolving the status of the oil-rich province of Abiye and failure to allow the south to carry out a cabinet reshuffle.
FACE-TO-FACE
The three-man SPLM delegation told Reuters they were still waiting for a face-to-face meeting with President Bashir. “We have done our part, said Yasir Arman, a SPLM deputy secretary-general. “Now it is up to them to respond.”
Arman said the handover was the first official contact between SPLM and its former political partners since the crisis started. “The SPLM is seeking solutions. We are looking for a constitutional and equal partnership,” he added.
He said the demands were contained in a letter from SPLM leader and Sudan Vice President Salva Kiir, setting out the SPLM’s concerns about the roll out of the peace process. The crisis was “triggered” by Bashir’s rejection of SPLM plans to reshuffle posts in the coalition government, Arman added.
“We are asking the president to give clear indications and a road map for the implementation of the articles of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement,” said Arman, declining to go into greater detail about the specific measures required.
“If president Bashir agrees, then the issue will be resolved,” added Arman. But he said the SPLM would withdraw ministers again if it found the government’s compliance wanting in the future. “This crisis can be reproduced at any time.”
He refused to comment on local media reports that the main sticking point over the reshuffle had been a decision by the SPLM to withdraw former southern rebel leader Lam Akol as the country’s foreign minister.
The NCP rejected the accusations, saying the SPLM was to blame for the failure to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement which ended Africa’s longest civil war and created a coalition government in Khartoum, with the SPLM taking just over a quarter of the posts.
(AFP/Reuters)
John Lemi Stephen
Sudan’s Beshir refuses to receive personally SPLM letter
There is no wonder at what is going on between the SPLM and NCP. Bashir is very proud and cunning; and may be mislead by some of his senior aids. What so ever the case the honey moon is over; as I can remember it very well our grantfathers were telling us never to trust an Arab at all. They never ever keep any promise, their lives are characterized through out the history of man kind by dishonouring of agreements and from time to time revange; instead of forgiving and forget. No matter how an Arab pretended to good he will in a way let you down. Such were the lessons we learnt from the grand parents indeed there is wisdom in what they say and so it has come to pass in our time. First in the 50s before the independence of this country when we were still infants, then another deception a serious one was also during the Addis Ababa regime then the worst is now practically as we see it. They wanted to dilute the CPA by all means; to me it will be good for us because by the end of the day the Sudan will at least end up into two countries a thing that will be a remedy to the bloody period we are in; and it may not take long for Western and Eastern Sudan to joint the South as full independent countries. The NCP is rapidly driving the country for balcanization and no one can stop it. The situation may change only if the NCP change its policies, what so ever the case Sudan is already loosing the South whether the Arabs like it or not. It is also a matter of days for the East and the West to follow suit.
Therefore Southerners and all the peace loving communities should not be troubed the independence of the south from the north is eminent. It shall happen by the hands of the NCP because of their misculculations.
aguer alaak
Sudan’s Beshir refuses to receive personally SPLM letter
The today act of Bashir refusing to receive SPLM letter portray to the general public he has been involved in such business comes any request by SPLM as a party and the South Sudan president who is also his vice.It is good that the SPLM has staged the thing which has long way been affecting them in the darkness and be seen by everybody…Now eyes are widely opened by such respond that a president gave a childish answer…better see and dictate it as usual.SPLM should not gearback anyhting as what you are doing is not a threat to CPA as others may think of it but a way forward to the implementation of the agreements…otherwise ooyeh!!!
BY: Aguer Alaak Aguer.