Sudanese president says national dialogue conference is “nearing its end”
February 5, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir said the national dialogue conference is drawing to its end acknowledging that the armed conflicts represent the greatest challenge facing Sudan today.
Bashir, who addressed leaders of the political forces in the town of Kosti, White Nile state Friday, criticized the opposition forces for continuing to demand achieving national consensus and making a permanent constitution.
“Sudan has effectively participated in the liberation of the African continent and occupied advanced position in the history of the African politics and it’s a shame [that we are still talking] about [drafting] the constitution and [achieving] the national consensus,” he said.
He pointed that the dialogue conference brought in the entire political forces and the civil society organizations in order implement the public reform programme and achieve development and stability in the country.
Bashir added the dialogue achieved great benefits including the meeting of political parties and armed groups and the exchange of views and demands that serve the interest of the country, saying the dialogue conference is about to end.
He pointed the recommendations of the conference would strengthen the unity of the Sudanese people and allows them to reach consensus on a constitutional document that achieves stability in the country.
The Sudanese President further said that war represents the major problem facing the country, stressing that it hindered political, social and economic development.
“The ongoing dialogue [conference] which is taking place with the participation of the political parties, armed movements and national figures is capable of overcoming the 60-years old outstanding differences,” he said.
The Sudanese army has been fighting the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) rebels in Blue Nile and South Kordofan since 2011 and a group of armed movements in Darfur since 2003.
Bashir stressed that dialogue is one of the means to build the superpower, saying it emerged from their true conviction of its importance and ability to overcome problems and challenges facing the nation.
He pointed to the diversity among the participants in the dialogue including the politicians, experts, academics, college professors and retired ambassadors.
It is worth to mention that the political forces members of the opposition alliance National Consensus Forces (NCF) and other parties refuse to take part in the conference before the creation of a conducive environment and the implementation of specific confidence-building measures provided in a roadmap proposed by the African Union mediation team.
Some significant political parties, such as the National Umma Party, the Reform Now Movement and the Just Peace Forum, that approved the process in the beginning. But later they suspended their participation, criticizing the government refusal to postpone the general elections and the lack of political freedoms.
Also, the major armed movements in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile refrained from participating in the dialogue conference citing similar demands.
Meanwhile, the Sudanese minister of health and head of the Liberation and Justice Party Bahar Idris Abu Garda described the dialogue as an “unprecedented national project”, saying it aims to address the entire problems of the country.
Abu Garda, who also addressed the meeting of the political leaders in Kosti, said the political and societal dialogue discussed all Sudan’s issues, describing it as “transparent and deep”.
He added that the dialogue conference is nearing its end, saying it is high time to agree on its outcome that contributes to achieving stability and development in the country.
The minister of health called upon the holdout political and armed forces to engage in the dialogue, adding “had dialogue been initiated since independence, we would have avoided these problems and war”.
(ST)