Bashir vows to implement Islamic law in Sudan

KHARTOUM, April 15, 2004 (dpa) — Sudanese President Omer Hassan al-Bashir pledged Thursday not to abandon implementation of Islamic Sharia law, an issue currently obstructing peace talks in Naivasha, Kenya.

Addressing the convention of Islamic Movement in Sudan in Khartoum, al-Bashir affirmed that Islamic law would dominate life in the Sudanese capital even after the signing of a peace agreement with southern rebels.

Implemented by the former President Jaffar Mohammed Numeiry in 1983, Islamic laws have formed the most contentious issue pitting the Moslem north against the animist-Christian south.

Al-Bashir, however, assured Christians that his government would make use of all guarantees to safeguard their rights within a united Sudan – though he did not spell out the nature of the guarantees.

A member of the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) negotiating team Deng Alor, told Deutsch Presse-Agentur from Naivasha that they would not give up their demand for a capital where the rights of non- Moslems are guaranteed.

He added that the government had proposed a committee to oversee complaints from Christians over Sharia being perceived to be indiscriminately implemented.