Sudan’s dialogue forms panel to convince opposition holdout groups

May 17, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s Higher Coordination Committee of the National Dialogue (7+7) Tuesday has revealed preparations for a meeting of the Secretariat General of the dialogue with the President of the Republic Omer al-Bashir in the coming days, announcing the formation of a panel to persuade those refuse dialogue to join it.

The national dialogue committees chaired by President al-Bashir have finished works late February without the participation of the main opposition parties and armed movements. The recommendations are waiting the approval of the General Assembly of the Secretariat General.

The Minister of Information and member of the (7+7) committee, Ahmed Bilal Osman, said the recommendations and the proposals of the dialogue are now at the proofreading stage prior to put it forward at the Mechanism and the General Assembly.

Speaking in a press conference, Ahmed Bilal said the mechanism have plans to persuade those who reject dialogue inside and outside the country to participate in the dialogue, adding that the committee has been formed for this purpose.

“The mechanism has contacted the ”Future Forces of Change” (FFC), and will continue contacts with the alliance to convince them to be part of the national dialogue,” he stated.

He further disclosed an inclusive meeting for leaders of political parties and armed movements that accepted the dialogue will be held to brief them on the dialogue process since its inception until now, stressing that this meeting will take place before the General Assembly.

On his part, chairman of the Federal Truth Party (FTP) Fadl al-Sayed Shoaib, who is also a member of the (7+7) committee, said “the dialogue mechanism held 45 meetings since day one to strengthen the national dialogue work besides consolidating strong ties between the participants”, hoping to have the General Assembly meeting soon.

Also, Shoaib said that the mechanism has discussed a memorandum addressed by national figures to President al-Bashir, underscoring that it didn”t receive any support to hold further discussions on its content from the president or the 7+7 committee.

Last March some 52 independent national figures handed over addressed a memo to the Sudanese president calling to form a transitional government of national unity to address the armed crises in Sudan and achieve constitutional reforms.

Last week, the Popular Congress Party (PCP) Secretary General Kamal Omer criticized the “National Initiative for Peace and Reform,” saying it calls to form a technocratic government with vague tasks, adding that the President has an obligation to enforce all the national dialogue outputs.

(ST)