Sudan: Opposition party calls for government of national unity

KHARTOUM, Aug 5, 2004 (Sudanese newspaper Al-Ra’y al-Amm) — The Democratic Unionist Party [DUP] has called all political forces within and outside the country to a conference which will initiate the formation of a government of national unity which will bring about security for all the people of Sudan in reference to the principles stipulated in the Jiddah accord.

In a statement which was issued by the party’s political office, sumarizing the minutes of a meeting held on Monday [2 August], the party said that, if realized, such a government should make efforts to convene an all-inclusive national conference for all the political forces and regions, to realize a fair and just distribution of resources and power to support development in all parts of the country, and a fair political balance which will bring about a democratic change.

The party further proposed that such a government should make efforts to nationalize all government institutions and strongly abide by cease-fire agreements and restore security by empowering the government machinery. It should also disarm the militia groups, gather weapons from all citizens, re-establish all police posts and civil courts, open all the [trade] routes and re-establish the structures of the civil administrations. [Passage omitted].

Translated from Arabic by BBC Monitoring Middle East