Sudan’s dialogue to begin next October : official

August 5, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – In a meeting chaired by President Omer Hassan al-Bashir, Sudan’ dialogue mechanism known as 7+7 committee decided to launch the national dialogue process on 10 October and to intensify efforts to bring in holdout opposition and rebel groups.

The meeting, which was attended by the heads of political parties participating in the national dialogue, also passed reports submitted by the different sub-committees on their activities during the past period.

“The meeting discussed one item which is to set a date for the national dialogue. The mechanism agreed to launch it on 10 October, provided that the Annual General Assembly meeting be held before it on 20 August,” the 7+7 spokesperson, Ahmed al-Balal told reporters following the meeting.

“This date does not mean limiting the dialogue to the participants, but there are efforts by the mechanism to reach the holdouts and opponents at home and abroad,” Bilal further said.

The political and armed groups opposed to the dialogue process refuse to join it under the current conditions asking to stop war and to ensure political freedoms.

Last April after the government’s rejection to participate in a pre-dialogue meeting, the opposition went to call for a new process under the auspice of the international community and brokered by the African Union Mediation team.

However, in a speech by telephone from his residence in Cairo on Wednesday, the leader of the National Umma Party Sadiq al-Mahdi reiterated his call for an international participation in the inter-Sudanese process .

Mahdi said the dialogue should begin outside the country with international guarantees and then can be moved to inside the country after setting a meticulous roadmap, allowing the regime to participate in the dialogue without controlling it.

He further called on the chief mediator Thabo Mbeki, to announce the failure of his mediation and to inform the UN Security Council if he fails to persuade the regime to accept the opposition demands.

Earlier this week following a short visit to Khartoum, Mbeki said he will hold a consultation meeting on the dialogue issues with the armed group in mid-August.

Balal said the dialogue committee will seek to create a conducive environment in order to involve the opposition and armed groups in the internal political process.

(ST)