Al-Mahdi, Minnawi address Sudan’s NCP convention
October 1, 2009 (KHARTOUM) – The former Sudanese prime minister Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi and the ex-rebel leader of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) faction Minni Minnawi today addressed the convention of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP).
“The failure of the political elite to resolve the issues of the country [is] a declaration of comprehensive political bankruptcy,” but added that “survival is in the national road for salvation”.
The Umma party leader has just returned from South Sudan capital of Juba where opposition parties and Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) held a conference vowing to boycott the April 2010 elections if no progress is made on lifting the freedom restricting laws.
The NCP launched a fierce media campaign against the participants including the SPLM with accusations that they aim to topple the government.
But Al-Mahdi defended the Juba conference saying that it is a “drop of the national reconciliation agreement” referring to an accord that his party signed with the NCP that he later described as a failure.
He said that people should view the Juba conference “objectively”. The ex-PM also called for a “third way” to achieve stability and national unity.
However, he criticized the international community saying it approved of bilateral agreements and excluded other political powers.
In the past, Al-Mahdi has said that the CPA is lacking because it effectively declared that the NCP and the SPLM are the only political powers in the country.
His position has drawn criticisms from the SPLM which accused him of seeking to undermine the gains made by the Southerners in the CPA, something Al-Mahdi denied.
Minnawi, who is also the senior presidential assistant in accordance with the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA), addressed the conference focusing on the conflict in his homeland.
He said that the issue of Darfur is political, social, developmental and resolved through dialogue and brainstorming of all parties adding that the Government of National Unity (GoNU) must take “bold” steps to implement the DPA.
The ex-rebel leader urged the non-signatories to provide concessions at the negotiating table saying there is a window of opportunity to handle the conflict to resolve hailing efforts by Egypt, Libya and Qatar in this regard.
Minnawi, despite being sworn in as a presidential assistant, his role has been largely marginalized and he held that the NCP has reneged on its obligations under the terms of the DPA signed in May 2006.
(ST)