Ruling NC party and opposition Umma party agree on Darfur issue
KHARTOUM, May 22, 2004 (SUNA/ST) – The Ruling National Congress party and the opposition National Umma Party of Saddiq Al-Mahdi Saturday signed at Martyr Al-Zubair Conference Hall here an agreement on a united vision on Darfur problem.
The agreement was signed by the Secretary General of the National Congress, Ibrahim Ahmed Omer, and the Secretary General of the National Umma Party, Abdul-Nabi Ali Ahmed.
The understanding called for the unity of the Sudanese people’s will for the sake of reaching a comprehensive and just solution for Darfur problem, confronting the challenges and warding off sedition and creating appropriate climate for restoring the social fabric and effecting sound development in Darfur states.
The accord has condemned the method of violence and escalation of the war as well as instigating regionalism and tribalism for the purpose of achieving political gains.
The two parties concurred on the importance of solving Darfur problem politically through a national comprehensive framework, and stressed that the problem of Darfur is an internal one.
The agreement emphasized that the development and services problem shall be solved through dialogue with the positive help of regional and international efforts and averting the harmful foreign intervention.
The agreement between the National Congress and the National Umma Party stressed the necessity of commitment to immediate cease-fire by all parties and containing and disarmament of the irregular groups.
The agreement called for convocation of a comprehensive political conference on Darfur with the participation of all the Sudanese political forces, organizations, tribal leaderships, intellectuals, academicians and representatives of the armed groups in Darfur.
The leader of the opposition National Umma Party and former prime minister, Al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, has warned about the possibility of foreign intervention in Darfur due to the deterioration of the situation there.
He said what was currently happening there, if not curbed, would lead to foreign intervention due to current international concern about what was happening in the region, as well as the conflict sometimes crossing border, thereby making some of the neighbouring countries to get involved in the strife.
Al-Mahdi has called on the international political forces, including the UN and the European Union to support the proposal which would be presented by his party and the ruling party.