Sudan’s dialogue outcome to be approved in the general conference:VP

July 18, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s Vice-President Hassabo Mohamed Abdel-Rahman on Monday said the recommendations of the national dialogue would be approved in the general conference following the general assembly which would be held on August 6th.

Differences have emerged within the dialogue mechanism known as 7+7 on how to approve the recommendations. While the opposition side of the mechanism calls to approve them during the general assembly, the government side prefers to take the move during a meeting following the general assembly.

On Monday, Abdel-Rahman said that the general assembly would be held on 6 August, pointing that a date would be fixed during the general assembly to hold the general conference to approve the dialogue recommendations.

He pointed that the national dialogue represents the most effective means to achieve peace, denying existence of any external intervention in the process.

In January 2014, President Omer al-Bashir called on political parties and armed groups to engage in a national dialogue to discuss four issues, including ending the civil war, allowing political freedoms, fighting against poverty and revitalising national identity.

Launched on 10 October 2015 for three months, the dialogue process was initially expected to wind up on 10th January 2016.

The opposition groups refuse to join the process and call on the government to implement a number of confidence building measures aimed to create a suitable atmosphere for dialogue. But the government refuses their claims.

MEETING HOLDOUT OPPOSITION

Meanwhile, the 7+7 mechanism said it would travel abroad to meet with the leader of the National Umma Party (NUP) al-Sadiq al-Mahdi and the armed groups to convince them to join the dialogue.

The co-chair of the 7+7 subcommittee tasked with creating conducive climate Osman Abu al-Majd said they intend to meet the holdout opposition group before the general assembly meeting scheduled for 6 August.

He told the semi-official Sudan Media Center (SMC) that his committee is making every possible effort to convince the internal and external holdout opposition to participate in the dialogue.

Abu al-Majd further stressed that the general assembly won’t be delayed, saying some opposition groups including the Future Forces for Change (FFC) are about to join the process.