Sudan’s national dialogue committee to meet with rebel alliance in Addis Ababa
September 2, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The rebel alliance of the Sudan Revolutionary Forces (SRF) said it accepted the request of the African mediation to meet with members of the national dialogue’s external liaison subcommittee who are expected to arrive in Addis Ababa on Tuesday.
Sudan’s national dialogue committee known as 7+7, comprised of government parties and opposition ones participating in dialogue initiative launched last January by president Omer Hassan al-Bashir formed the six subcommittees entrusted with leading the process.
The Reform Now Movement (RNM) leader Ghazi Salah al-Din Attabani and cabinet affairs minister and member of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), led by Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani, Ahmed Saad Omer were assigned to the external liaison committee.
The SRF deputy chairman for media affairs, al-Tom Hago, said in a statement on Tuesday that they will issue detailed statement to explain the outcome of the ongoing meetings in Addis Ababa.
The statement stressed that the SRF, in a four-hour meeting with the African mediation along with regional and international mediators on Monday, “presented its roadmap for the comprehensive peaceful solution and full democratic transformation besides the Paris Declaration”.
It pointed that the roadmap and the Paris Declaration call for ending the war as an crucial step towards holding the dialogue, saying the “dialogue requirements include allowing freedoms, releasing all political detainees, exchanging prisoners of war and creating atmosphere conducive for dialogue with the participation of all forces”.
It demanded that dialogue lead to the formation of a transitional government to carry out certain functions including addressing negative consequences of war, drafting a permanent constitution and handing over power to an elected government.
The SRF further warned against government’s rejection of the dialogue principles, saying “the only available alternative for the Sudanese people and opposition forces would then be to continue struggle by all means to bring about change”.
It noted the continuation of meetings with the regional and international mediators until arriving at clear visions on issues at stake.
According to the statement, the SRF leaders met for the second time with the leader of the National Umma Party (NUP), al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, in Addis Ababa to exchange information on the outcome of the two parties meetings with the African mediation, United States mediator, French Charge d’affaires in Addis Ababa and other meetings.
It added that the meeting also discussed ways for coordinating efforts within the framework of Paris Declaration to rally support of all national opposition forces and people’s support besides promoting the declaration regionally and internationally.
NUP and SRF leaders, Sadiq al-Mahdi and Malik Agar, signed on 8August a joint statement calling for peace and democratic reform, stressing that genuine process implies to involve all the political forces and end the ongoing war in different parts of Sudan.
The declaration, which calls for unifying the political and military opposition forces, emphasises the need to create a suitable atmosphere for the dialogue.
DIALOGUE’S ROADMAP
The official news agency SUNA reported on Tuesday that Attabani and Omer will meet the rebels to present them the dialogue framework agreement agreed on 9 August and extend an invitation to to the rebel groups to participate in the internal process.
The two member delegation “would present the (dialogue) roadmap and listen to the proposals of the armed movements on the map. The source stressed that the meeting was only dedicated to discuss the participation of the armed parties in the national dialogue and will not handle any other topics,” SUNA said citing anonymous source from the national dialogue mechanism.
Meanwhile, the government-sponsored Sudan Media Center (SMC) website on Tuesday said the national dialogue’s external liaison subcommittee would meet with the African Union High Implementation Panel (AUHIP) during the next two days in Addis Ababa.
The liaison committee member, Ahmed Saad Omer, said the committee would immediately embark on talks with rebel groups to convince them to seriously engage in a national dialogue which leads to comprehensive agreement on a formula to govern the country.
He said the committee met with the head of the AUHIP, Thabo Mbeki, during his recent visit to Khartoum and briefed him on its mission, saying the latter expressed support for their work.
Omer further said his committee received an official invitation from the AUHIP to attend a meeting in Addis Ababa during the next two days to discuss the national dialogue, adding that they will present the AUHIP with the roadmap for contacting rebel groups.
(ST)