SPLM leader prefers partnership with Sudan ruling party

November 10, 2007 (LONDON) — Sudanese First Vice President and Chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) said he prefers to maintain the current political partnership with the ruling National Congress Party despite the withdrawal of his ministers from the national government.

In a public meeting organised by Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington on November 7, Salva Kiir Mayadrit said it is better for the SPLM to maintain the political partnership with the NCP up to the next elections and the referendum, indicating that SPLM relations with other political parties in the country are weak, the London based al-Sharq alAwsat reported.

Salva Kiir said “We were opposed to run elections and see other northern political party than the NCP winning, and then denounces the peace agreement [that SPLM] signed with National Congress Party.”

He said that the leader of the Umma National Party, Sadiq al-Mahdi does not recognise the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) up to now. Further he said that the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani is still abroad since the signing of the CPA in 2005, while his party, the DUP, is divided into two faction one supports al-Bashir government and the other opposed to it.

The DUP, SPLM and Umma parties were part of a large opposition umbrella, National Democratic Alliance. The Umma party quitted the NDA in 1999 but remained committed to the right of self determination for southern Sudan as it is stipulated in the NDA charter. The DUP and the SPLM were the main forces of the NDA up to 2005 when the SPLM signed the CPA with the National Congress Party.

The late Garang and Al-Mirghani were very close allies.

In the perspective of the general elections in 2009, this statement means the SPLM would not conclude political alliance with the current opposition parties which are debating over the creation of political coalition to win the 2009 elections.

Some of these opposition parties expressed wishes to see the SPLM joining this umbrella. But these statements defeat their hopes.

CRITICS TO AL-BASHIR

Salva Kiir also denigrated president al-Bashir saying he thinks he can pay southerners by positions and money.

In this context Salva Kiir spoke about his first meeting with al-Bashir after the SPLM withdrawal and the reshuffle of SPLM ministers in the national unity government. He said that Bashir brought some SPLM ministers and asked him to witness the sworn-in ceremony.

Salva Kiir said he rejected the ceremony indicating that the SLPM would not participate in the national government before the implementation of the pending issue in the CPA.

He also slammed the National Congress Party as it wants “an Islamic and Arab identity for the Sudan while we want religious, ethnic and racial diversity. He further said that the NCP not just slows in the CPA implementation but stopped it.

(ST)