INTERVIEW: Sudanese politician says NCP intimidated by Juba conference
September 6, 2009 (WASHINGTON) — The Sudanese ruling National Congress Party (NCP) is wary of any national consensus over the political crisis facing the country, an opposition figure said today.
The NCP has boycotted the Juba conference saying it was not consulted in preparing the agenda and working papers describing the participants as “biased” with the goal of putting the regime on trial.
The head of the Umma Reform and Renewal Party (URRP) and coordinator for the conference Mubarak Al-Fadil said that the NCP chose to stay away from conference.
“I met with Nafi [presidential assistant] back in June and requested a meeting with him which he promised to set a date for but never got back with me like he said he would,” Al-Fadil told Sudan Tribune by phone from Juba.
“In July I sent Nafi a detailed letter outlining the purpose of the Juba conference including security, unity, national reconciliation Darfur crisis, democratic transformation and foreign policy,” he added.
The URRF head said that he stressed in the letter the importance of the NCP participation in the conference “given its control over the state as well as power and wealth”.
However, Nafi ignored the letter and he received no response or feedback from the ruling party.
The ex-Southern rebel group Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) extended an invitation to a number of opposition parties last May to meet in Juba.
Sudan opposition parties are frustrated over what they view as foot dragging by NCP in lifting restrictive laws and expediting the democratic transformation process.
The parties expected to take part in the Juba conference comprise of the Umma National Party, Umma Reform and Renewal Party, Sudanese Communist Party, Popular Congress Part (PCP), and other smaller parties.
Al-Fadil said that he sent the working papers of the conference to Sudanese presidential adviser Ghazi Salah Al-Deen who acknowledged its receipt and promised to respond.
“The statements by Mandoor Al-Mahdi [NCP Political bureau officer] claiming that they responded with a letter is not true. The burden of proof lies on them to show when and where they sent it,” he said.
The opposition figure stressed that all issues are up for discussions during the conference and that no resolutions have been crafted yet.
“The NCP has the full right to attend and push his viewpoint before the participants and then it will be deliberated in full transparency. Nothing will be imposed on anyone. All issues are up for discussion,” Al-Fadil said.
Al-Fadil accused the NCP of giving a pre-fixed “negative stance” on the conference saying the ruling party ignored the initiative from the very beginning rather than actively engaging in it.
“They [NCP] wants to carry on the habit of touring outside the country for solutions to Sudan’s problems and assert to the international community that they represent the only viable power in the country,” he said.
“Any national consensus or agreement on solutions among political parties for Sudan’s crisis is opposed by the NCP because they feel it threatens their existence. They want full control over power in the country which means they want divided parties” he added.
Asked about NCP allegations that the Juba conference excludes vital political parties, Al-Fadil dismissed it.
“The NCP wants us to invite their own satellites, small parties with no history that are just names. We can’t just bring anyone. They [NCP] want these smaller parties to come and sabotage the conference,” he said.
“They want to put too much water in the concentrate by having these parties take part,” Al-Fadil added.
The URRF chief downplayed the announcement by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to boycott the Juba conference.
The DUP is considered the second largest opposition party in North Sudan.
“I don’t believe their position is final and I think they will send representatives to attend. Their officials said today they are not boycotting the conference but that they are not taking part in it for partisan reasons but did not elaborate. It is a contradictory statement,” Al-Fadil said.
“Part of the problem within the DUP is that they feel that Juba conference is to replace to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by Mohamed Osman Al-Mirghani. However, this is not really the case. This is not even remotely the purpose of the conference”.
Some news reports published in Khartoum stated that Al-Mirghani agreed with the NCP on an alliance in the next elections but the DUP denied any such decision.
Al-Fadil hailed the agreement by the SPLM and Umma party signed this week saying it is a “positive addition” to the Juba conference by normalizing relations that have been largely uneasy over the last few years.
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Dinka Boy
INTERVIEW: Sudanese politician says NCP intimidated by Juba conference
The conference is not going to overthrow you Criminal Bashier.
Its is your problem why baycott the meeting.
Why intimidating about Juba meeting.
The Fool scare going to the South because he is like Lady.
He think he might be killed.
Sorry, this can not happen that is not our style- the SPLA/M.
oshay
INTERVIEW: Sudanese politician says NCP intimidated by Juba conference
Oh please, like any sane minded person will vote for a serpent movement that took arms against its country, killed hundreds of thousands of innocent civillians and showed that its complete faliure in the South.
No one, even Southerners will vote for the SPLM let alone Umma.
Kur
INTERVIEW: Sudanese politician says NCP intimidated by Juba conference
We are playing politics here. If the SPLM could share the government with the most primitive, brutal regime that delights in raping and flogging women and children, then it is possible to try with other sectarian parties such as Umma and DUP to achieve our aims. It is a mutual benefit. At this point the SPLM holds the strategic position that drives power either way. And now the real business has begun.
Kur