AUHIP to hold Sudan’s pre-dialogue meeting in mid January
January 3, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – The National Umma Party (NUP) of former Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi has said it received an invitation to take part in the pre-dialogue meeting in Addis Ababa on 15 January.
“Our party has received an invitation from the African Union High Implementation Panel(AUHIP) to take part in the preparatory meeting , scheduled for mid-January in Addis Ababa,’’ announced chairman of the NUP political council Mohamed al-Mahdi Hassan.
In a statement carried by the semi-official Sudan Media Center (SMC), Hassan said that similar invitations were received by the Reform Now Movement (RNM) of the former presidential assistant Ghazi Salah al-Din and other political forces.
He, however, said the Sudan Call Forces inside the country were not invited.
Sudan Tribune has learnt that the invitation also was extended to three factions of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front: Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N), Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement led by Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM).
Also, a source the national dialogue committee denied that the Reform Now Movement (RNM) nor any political forces active within the country would take part in Addis Ababa meeting.
“The AUHIP is opposed to the participation in the Preparatory meeting of any political party active inside Sudan,’’ an official source in the dialogue mechanism (7+7) told Sudan Tribune.
He asserted that the NUP was authorized by the Sudan Call forces to represent them in the meeting , adding that “the 7+7 will not accept the participation of the Reform Now Movement.’’
Hassan said that the NUP had asked the African mediation to increase the number of political parties to be invited to the preparatory meeting , which, he said, will pave the way for comprehensive dialogue.
He disclosed his party’s vision about the national dialogue was delivered to the AUHIP at an early stage and that they were now waiting for the preparatory meeting to convene.
The NUP official said his party was optimistic that the preparatory meeting could step up the efforts for a comprehensive solution for the country’s problems.
(ST)