Sudanese govt, opposition NDA to begin talks on 20 August in Cairo

KHARTOUM, Aug 17, 2004 (Al-Sahafah) — Meetings between the government and the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will be held in Cairo, Egypt, beginning on the 20 August under the patronage of Egypt.

The NDA chairman, Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani, said the Sudanese Foreign Ministry informed him that talks between the two sides would start on 20 August. A source close to NDA told the Sudan Media Centre (SMC) Al-Mirghani and Farouk Abu-Eissa met separately with Egyptian government officials regarding the talks which are scheduled to begin on Friday.

The source added that there are views inside the NDA that Al-Mirghani should not lead its delegation to the talks, except in a situation whereby Sudanese First Vice-President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha heads the government delegation to the talks.

In Khartoum a well informed source said that Taha would lead the government’s delegation in the meetings with the NDA.

Translated by the BBC Monitoring Service