General assembly of Sudan’s dialogue to convene on Sunday
November 1, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) political secretary, Mustafa Osman Ismail, said the dialogue committee known as 7+7 will present a report reflecting its work in the previous period to the general assembly of the national dialogue on Sunday.
Ismail told the pro-government Sudan Media Center website on Saturday that all political parties participating in the national dialogue will attend the meeting of the general assembly, expecting that new parties will also join the meeting.
He pointed the 7+7 committee will ask the general assembly to authorise it to call for convening of the general conference besides allowing it oversee the work of the societal dialogue in order to integrate its outcome with that of the national dialogue.
Last week, the NCP replaced its previous delegate in the 7+7 committee, presidential assistant, Ibrahim Ghandour, by Ismail as the former will head the government delegation for talks with the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) on the Two Areas on 12 November.
The societal dialogue committee has earlier announced that it will meet with the 7+7 committee on Sunday to accommodate visions of the political forces into the work of the societal dialogue committees.
The head of the societal dialogue subcommittee of society forces, Tabita Botrus, said the societal dialogue committees will engage in extensive meetings with civil society sectors including the traditional administration, Sufi sects, youth, students and woman unions and artists, to include their views in the national dialogue’s agendas.
She noted that the societal dialogue committees will discuss three major issues including social peace, national identity and living conditions, saying the rest of the issues will be discussed in the 7+7 committee.
On 27 January, president Omer Hassan al-Bashir called upon opposition parties to engage in a comprehensive dialogue to discuss issues of governance, national identity, economy and foreign relations.
Several opposition parties, including the Popular Congress Party (PCP) led by Hassan al-Turabi, the Reform Now Movement (RNM) led by Ghazi Salah al-Din Attabani and the NUP led by al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, agreed to participate in the dialogue before the latter decided to suspend its participation following detention of its leader.
The opposition alliance of the National Consensus Forces (NCF), gathering mainly leftist parties and the rebel umbrella of the SRF refused to engage in the dialogue citing the need to end the war, create an environment conducive for dialogue and form a transitional government.
(ST)