Sudanese opposition leader arrives in Cairo for peace talks
CAIRO, Sept 24 (AFP) — The leader of the Sudanese opposition National Democratic Alliance, Mohammed Osman al-Mirghani, arrived in Cairo Friday ahead of scheduled peace talks with representatives of the Khartoum government.
The talks are aimed at bringing to an end a campaign by the NDA, begun in 1995, to topple the government of President Omar el-Bashir.
Negotiations are taking place as other peace talks between southern rebel groups and Bashir’s government are at an advanced stage in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.
Talks between the two sides in Cairo, led by Mirghani for the NDA and Vice President Ali Osman Taha for the government, are due to begin on Tuesday.
Both sides have expressed optimism that the negotiations, held under the auspices of Egyptian intelligence chief General Omar Suleiman, will result in a deal between the government and its political opponents in the north.
Talks in August resulted in agreement on a 13-point agenda, which is expected to form the basis for the forthcoming talks and includes constitutional issues, general elections and economic policy.
The two sides also agreed in August to set up four committees to review constitutional, political, economic and financial issues before they are discussed at plenary talks.
Sudanese officials say they hope the talks with exiled northern opposition groups will herald their return to the country and resumption of political activities.
Khartoum described the August talks as part of an effort to negotiate peace with all political opponents in the south, north and west of Sudan, Africa’s largest country.
Meanwhile, one of the two main rebel groups in the war-torn region of Darfur said it will join next week’s talks, the official MENA agency reported Friday.
The agency said the Sudan Liberation Movement had informed the NDA about its intention to take part in the talks during a telephone conversation between leader Abul Wahid Mohammed al-Nour and the NDA vice chairman, Abul Rahman Saed.
It was not immediately clear if Nour would personally lead the delegation or if someone else would.
The SLA, along with the Justice and Equality Movement, another Darfur-based rebel group, recently participated in African Union-sponsored talks with the government in the Nigerian capital Abuja.
The negotiations collapsed over disagreements on security arrangements, but the AU and the parties agreed to continue the discussions after a month.