UN chief disappointed by failure of Sudan pre-dialogue meeting
April 4, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Saturday said disappointed after the failure of a pre-national dialogue meeting as result of the ruling party’s rejection to participate in the consultations.
The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) on 29 March refused to attend a meeting in Addis Ababa to discuss issues pertaining to the national dialogue conference and its procedures. Khartoum said the mediation didn’t coordinate with the government on who participate in the meeting, also it said it would be held at the wrong time arguing they are busy with the election of 13 April.
In a statement released on 1 April, the African Union Highlevel Implementation Panel (AUHIP) said it regretted the NCP’s refusal, saying it had previously pledged to attend the consultations. The mediation also said the agenda of the two-day meeting were exclusively dealing with the dialogue process in line with its mandate refuting claims that it aims to postpone the elections.
Ban urges all stakeholders to continue to engage constructively towards the early convening of a credible and inclusive national dialogue, further said the UN spokesperson.
He further stressed his support to the mediation panel led by the former South African president Thabo Mbeki, underscoring the partnership between the African Union and the United Nations.
The international community supports the organisation of an inclusive process to settle the ongoing conflict in the Blue Nile, South Kordofan states and Darfur region.
Bashir, who faced criticism from inside the ruling party and Islamist groups supporting his regime, called in January 2014 for the national dialogue hoping it can help to surmount the internal crisis and break the international isolation of his regime.
However, the regime’s miscalculation and failure to gain the full support of traditional forces pushed the government to work for the general elections first before to engage in any discussions with the opposition and armed groups who call for a negotiated settlement and constitutional reforms.
(ST)