Sudanese govt, SPLM teams said drafting interim constitution

KHARTOUM, Jan 25, 2005 (Al-Sahafah) — A joint committee between the government and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement is currently preparing the draft resolution of the constitution for the interim period. The committee is expected to end its mission next Friday, 28 January.

The draft will be presented to a bilateral committee that will make the final amendments before presentation of the document to the parliament in Khartoum and the National Liberation Council (SPLM legislative body) in Rumbek for ratification.

The current bilateral committee consists of seven members from both sides. Representatives from Garang’s movements are Nhial Deng, John Luk, Dr Mansur Khalid and Malik Hagar. The government’s side consists of the minister of justice, Muhammad Uthman Yas, and Abd-al-Rahman Ibrahim and a Idriss, who were both negotiators in the Naivasha talks.

The bilateral committee will prepare the draft resolution. It will then present it to the two parties in Khartoum and Rumbek within six weeks.

Once it is passed by both the parliament in Khartoum and the National Liberation Council in Rumbek, President Umar al-Bashir, first vice-president, John Garang, and second vice-president, Ali Osman Taha, will be sworn in as the start of the formation of the interim government.

Material provided by the BBC Monitoring Service.