Bashir refuses to meet with Sudan’s dialogue opposition forces
January 30, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The opposition forces participating in the national dialogue revealed that Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir has rejected a proposal made by the African mediation chief, Thabo Mbeki, to meet with political parties which have suspended their involvement.
However, RNM’s representative in the dialogue committee known as 7+7, Hassan Rizg, told Sudan Tribune that Mbeki, during his meeting with opposition forces participating in the dialogue, vowed to ask Bashir to hold a meeting with the opposition parties which suspended its participation in the national dialogue.
He said that Mbeki met with Bashir and left Khartoum without informing them of the latter’s response to his proposal, saying this implicitly means that Bashir has not accepted the proposal.
“We are ready to meet with Bashir and any other political forces in order to ensure the success of the national dialogue,” he added.
Earlier this month, the RNM and the JPF announced they had decided to suspend participation in the national dialogue until the requirements of a conducive environment are met.
The two opposition parties identified 12 confidence building measures saying that it was agreed in the roadmap of the national dialogue and endorsed by the regional and international organisations supporting the process.
These measures include the release of political detainees, freedom of expression, freedom of movement and travel, end media restrictions, take the needed measures to allow the return of opponents and rebels into the country, stop war and allow humanitarian access.
The two parties also rejected the “secret and unilateral” constitutional amendments increasing the powers of the Sudanese president, and reiterated their objection to the general elections scheduled in April.
Rizg noted they agreed to meet with Bashir on condition that political parties which were dismissed by the general assembly of the opposition parties participating in the dialogue should not take part in the meeting.
Last December, the opposition parties participating in the dialogue decided to sack two parties from the team of seven members representing them in the 7+7 committee.
The decision concerns the chairman of the federal Truth Party Fadel Alsid Shuaib who was also the co-spokesperson of the 7+7 committee, for his decision to participate in the general elections announced for April 2015. It also affects Bushara Juma Arror of the Justice Party, which decided to participate in the government of North Darfur state.
SMC also quoted the rapporteur of the political parties participating in the dialogue, Sati Sourketti, as saying that Mbeki sought to convince opposition forces meet with Bashir, stressing they will meet the latter in his capacity as the head of the higher committee of the national dialogue.
The opposition forces which decided to suspend participation in the dialogue committee boycotted a meeting held this month between Bashir and the dialogue committee, saying that some parties are invited to participate as opposition representatives while they were not.
Bashir launched the national dialogue initiative a year ago in which he urged opposition parties and rebels alike to join the dialogue table to discuss all the pressing issues.
But the initiative faced serious setbacks after rebel groups and leftist parties refused to join and after the National Umma Party (NUP) led by al-Sadig al-Mahdi withdrew from the process in protest of al-Mahdi’s brief arrest last May.
(ST)