U.S. engagement can lead to achieve democratic transition in Sudan: Arman
July 1, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N) on Friday welcomed the discussions between the American Administration and Sudanese government and expressed hope that it could lead to open humanitarian access and achieve democratic transition in Sudan.
He added that the government used to practice such propaganda, saying that Khartoum regime will not transform its relations with the international community unless it transforms relations with its own people.
“We are looking forward for this engagement to impact positively on the humanitarian intervention and the political democratic transformation in Sudan as a key point to address the rest of the issues between Sudan and the outside world including terrorism and immigration,” he further stressed.
Following a meeting with Booth on Wednesday, Presidential Assistant Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid who is also the government chief negotiator for the talks with the SPLM-N, said he told the U.S. diplomat of their rejection of a supplemental document the opposition proposed before to sign the Roadmap Agreement.
“As soon as [the opposition signs] the Roadmap we would sit to discuss the cessation of hostilities and the ceasefire which means the beginning of a real peace and then we would sit to complete the Two Areas talks and the framework agreement which we agreed on 90% of [its items] and that is a very short path to peace,” said Hamid.
The SPLM-N and its allies : the National Umma Party (NUP), Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement of Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM), refused a Roadmap Agreement brokered by the African Union because in focused only on a humanitarian truce and ignored other confidence building measures aimed at ensuring political freedoms before to join a national dialogue process inside the country.
However, Arman said co-opting the opposition groups into the national dialogue mechanism will not lead to achieve the desired goals of this political process. He added that this process can only be fruitful by developing the Khartoum controlled process into a new phase that will ensure the national dialogue’s credibility and move it into a new nation building process.
In addition, he warned that the government ”is looking to renew its license to rule Sudan in the old fashion with the consent of the opposition and in partnership with the international community after its license of the CPA expired”.
“This is not possible. It is only time for partnership on the basis of the change agenda that will end war, provide democratic transformation and usher Sudan into a new nation building project on an equal citizenship basis,” he asserted.
ONE YEAR CEASEFIRE
The SPLM-N secretary called to address the humanitarian situation as a matter of priority adding they are ready “with or without The Roadmap” to sit immediately to discuss a humanitarian plan in the Two Areas and a cessation of hostilities up to one year subject for renewal.
“We are equally ready to agree on unfiltered and unrestricted humanitarian access with multiple points, cross line and cross border, and for the cessation of hostilities to be holistic and to include Darfur on the other peace track,” he said.
He went further to underscore that the unilateral four-month truce that President al-Bashir recently declared is actually measured with the rainy season where the army cannot attack the SPLM-N positions.
However Arman reiterated his call for immediate talks to operationalize the cessation of hostilities, adding that “The engagement between the U.S. and Sudan can add value to this process”.
(ST)