Sudan’s NCP rejects opposition’s preconditions for dialogue
January 26, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The dominant National Congress Party (NCP) in north Sudan has reiterated rejections to preconditions set by the opposition to engage in dialogue, saying that opposition parties have no right to dictate any terms.
South Sudan voted overwhelmingly for secession in a weeklong referendum vote this month.
Opposition parties claim that the responsibility for south Sudan breakaway rests solely on NCP shoulders, demanding the party to hold a constitutional conference, form an interim government to organize new elections, end the conflict in the western region of Darfur and reverse cuts in subsidies for crucial petro products and sugar.
But the NCP made it abundantly clear it has no intention to cede power or organize elections, making a face-value offer to the opposition to join the government without details on how much power they will gain.
A statement issued on Thursday by the opposition alliance reiterated their previous demands and also urged the government to release the leader of the Popular Congress Party Hassan Al-Turabi who was detained along with his senior aides this month without charges.
Senior NCP member Mandoor Al-Mahdi told reporters in Khartoum on Thursday that the opposition can either accept unconditional talks or be ignored.
“If the opposition decided to satisfy the government’s invitation to engage in dialogue and sit down to deliberate on the future of the situations and the possibility of participating in a broad-base government…this would be a positive attitude and we welcome them anytime. But if the opposition choose to dictate preconditions, we will not accept any preconditions” he said.
Last week, Sudan president Omer Al-Bashir held a surprise meeting with leader of National Umma Party (NUP) Al-Sadqi al-Mahdi, causing uproar within the opposition alliance and some NUP ranks at a time when the opposition is trying to rally public support to stage street protests against rising cost of living.
Analysts say that the NCP is trying to create rifts within the opposition alliance by holding bilateral talks with some parties.
“We are currently engaged in dialogue with certain parties and not with an entity called the opposition alliance which comprises many parties,” Mandoor Al-Mahdi confirmed.
He added that the NCP meeting with the NUP would be followed soon by a meeting with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) led by Mohamed Osman Al-Mirghani.
The DUP and the NUP traditionally stood as the main sectarian-based parties in the country, but their political clout is seen as waning due to the affect of the NCP’s longstanding rule on the sociopolitical landscape in the country. The DUP has developed an affinity with the NCP in recent years and its leader Al-Mirghani voiced support for president Al-Bashir in the face of charges by the International Criminal Court against the background of Darfur conflict.
Separately, the NCP has also dismissed as “illogical” threats attributed to Atim Garang, a member of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in South Sudan, to halt pumping of oil and repeal wealth-sharing agreement with the north.
Mandoor Al-Mahdi said that the issue of revoking the membership of SPLM MPs in the national parliament following the declaration of independence is within the discretion of the president.
(ST)