PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
Sudan: Al-Bashir, arch-rival in first meeting after 15 years
Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir on Friday met his arch-rival, Dr. Hassan Turabi, their first meeting since 1997, ending 15 years of bitter rivalry between the Sudanese Islamists who came to power in a bloodless coup d’etat in June 1989.
The rapprochement followed an ice-breaking meeting Friday night of the hitherto arch-rivals -- President Al-Bashir, who is the Chairman of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), and Dr. Turabi, Secretary-General of the bitter opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP), who was unseated by the former from the NCP leadership in 1999.
A spokesman for the PCP, Dr. Bashir Adam Rahama, said the two sides met because they wanted to avert national, regional and international threats to Sudan's future and that of future generations.
Rahama was quoted by the pro-government Sudan Media Centre (SMC) as saying that the failure to resolve Sudan’s current crisis would be “a crime” against Sudan and the Sudanese future generations.
He said the NCP is convinced that Sudan’s problem should be resolved internally without any foreign intervention.
According to a report that was published by the Sudanese news agency (SUNA) at around midnight Friday and broadcast by the official Radio Omdurman Saturday morning, the two men had a lengthy meeting at the Government’s Guest house in the presence of senior aides from each side.
NCP Political Affairs Secretary, Dr. Mustafa Osman Ismail, and the PCP External Relations Secretary, Dr. Rahama exchanged press statements after the meeting, saying that the encounter was in the context of an initiative by President Al-Bashir late last January for national dialogue on security, political and economic problems facing the country.
A plenary meeting of all pro-government and opposition parties, armed (rebel) movements, civil society organizations and independent dignitaries, without exclusion, will agree on issues to be discussed by the dialogue and on a deadline for the dialogue.
Ismail said Al-Bashir would hold separate meetings with leaders of other political parties to explore their willingness for the dialogue and any proposals they have about it.
Another opposition party, the National Umma Party (NUP) of former Prime Minister Sadek al-Mahdi, has already declared its willingness to take part in the dialogue and so has the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani which is part of the NCP government.
The NUP, however, has demanded that a national government must be formed to organize elections which it proposed should be held in two to three years instead of next year.
The other opposition party, the Sudanese Communist Party (SCP), has announced that it would take part in the dialogue only after laws restricting freedoms are lifted, wars in the regions are halted, political prisoners and detainees are released and persons responsible for killings in last September riots taken to justice.
Al-Bashir removed Turabi from the leadership of the National Congress party and stripped him of his powerful post of Speaker of the National Assembly (the parliament) when they differed over powers to be vested on governors of the states and whether the governors should be elected directly by the states or be appointed by the head of the state.
Turabi, the influential Sudanese islamist in Sudan and in the middle east, was the man who masterminded the 1989 coup that brought Al-Bashir to power.
He remained the power behind the throne until he was removed by Al-Bashir.
-0- PANA MO/VAO 15March2014
The rapprochement followed an ice-breaking meeting Friday night of the hitherto arch-rivals -- President Al-Bashir, who is the Chairman of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), and Dr. Turabi, Secretary-General of the bitter opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP), who was unseated by the former from the NCP leadership in 1999.
A spokesman for the PCP, Dr. Bashir Adam Rahama, said the two sides met because they wanted to avert national, regional and international threats to Sudan's future and that of future generations.
Rahama was quoted by the pro-government Sudan Media Centre (SMC) as saying that the failure to resolve Sudan’s current crisis would be “a crime” against Sudan and the Sudanese future generations.
He said the NCP is convinced that Sudan’s problem should be resolved internally without any foreign intervention.
According to a report that was published by the Sudanese news agency (SUNA) at around midnight Friday and broadcast by the official Radio Omdurman Saturday morning, the two men had a lengthy meeting at the Government’s Guest house in the presence of senior aides from each side.
NCP Political Affairs Secretary, Dr. Mustafa Osman Ismail, and the PCP External Relations Secretary, Dr. Rahama exchanged press statements after the meeting, saying that the encounter was in the context of an initiative by President Al-Bashir late last January for national dialogue on security, political and economic problems facing the country.
A plenary meeting of all pro-government and opposition parties, armed (rebel) movements, civil society organizations and independent dignitaries, without exclusion, will agree on issues to be discussed by the dialogue and on a deadline for the dialogue.
Ismail said Al-Bashir would hold separate meetings with leaders of other political parties to explore their willingness for the dialogue and any proposals they have about it.
Another opposition party, the National Umma Party (NUP) of former Prime Minister Sadek al-Mahdi, has already declared its willingness to take part in the dialogue and so has the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani which is part of the NCP government.
The NUP, however, has demanded that a national government must be formed to organize elections which it proposed should be held in two to three years instead of next year.
The other opposition party, the Sudanese Communist Party (SCP), has announced that it would take part in the dialogue only after laws restricting freedoms are lifted, wars in the regions are halted, political prisoners and detainees are released and persons responsible for killings in last September riots taken to justice.
Al-Bashir removed Turabi from the leadership of the National Congress party and stripped him of his powerful post of Speaker of the National Assembly (the parliament) when they differed over powers to be vested on governors of the states and whether the governors should be elected directly by the states or be appointed by the head of the state.
Turabi, the influential Sudanese islamist in Sudan and in the middle east, was the man who masterminded the 1989 coup that brought Al-Bashir to power.
He remained the power behind the throne until he was removed by Al-Bashir.
-0- PANA MO/VAO 15March2014
