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April 6, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir announced a series of resolutions at the onset of a political roundtable held today in Khartoum with the participation of 83 political parties.

Sudan’s President Omer Hassan al-Bashir waits for the arrival of his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir at Khartoum Airport April 5, 2014 (REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

Bashir directed authorities in the states and localities across Sudan to enable political parties to carry out their activities inside and outside their headquarters without restrictions except those dictated by the law.

He also pledged to enhance press freedom so that it can play its role in the success of the national dialogue unconditionally as long they abide by the norms of the profession.

Political detainees who have not been found to be involved in criminal acts will be released, Bashir added.

The Sudanese leader also stressed the government’s commitment and willingness to allow rebels to participate in the national dialogue and vowed to give them adequate and appropriate safeguards to attend and depart safely afterwards.

Bashir said in his keynote address before the summit that the meeting is the first step to jumpstart the comprehensive national dialogue process and start a new phase of Sudanese political life to agree on primary principles to conduct the dialogue as well as discuss and propose solutions to construct a new social contract that would bring about Sudanese renaissance and peace.

Another goal of the process is to bring sustainable peace in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states and to ensure a bright future for their people, achieve national unity, strengthen Sudan’s regional and international relations especially with South Sudan, Bashir said.

The leader of the National Umma Party (NUP) Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi urged the government to lift the ban on foreign aid organizations and particularly the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to enable them to provide support to those affected in the war zones.

He also called for the revoking suspension decisions imposed on cultural centers.

Hassan Al-Turabi, head of the Popular Congress Party (PCP), demanded the declaration of an immediate cease-fire in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan states after which humanitarian corridors should be opened to deliver aid to those affected by the conflict.

He also underscored the need for the formation of a national transitional government tasked with addressing the thorny crises the country.

In his speech, the Islamist figure called for more freedoms, allowing private and public media houses to be open to all, inviting rebel groups to attend the dialogue by offering them guarantees that they will not be harmed.

Turabi welcomed steps announced by Bashir in response to demands of opposition parties as prerequisite for dialogue.

He also stressed the need for international monitoring of the national dialogue led by the United Nations.

The Reform Now Party (RNP) leader Ghazi Salah Al-Deen Al-Attabani highlighted the need to bring on the parties opposed to the dialogue and demanded the departure of security agencies from political life.

Attabani also called for constitutional amendments and conducting fair elections pointing out that they are running out of time.

He said that today’s roundtable should be treated as an assembly that makes it a priority to re-contact parties opposed to dialogue and emphasized that the assembly considers all proposals submitted by the various political forces .

The head of the Arab Socialist Nasserite Party Mustafa Mahmoud said that Sudan’s troubled political and economic situation require radical solutions affirming his party’s aspiration for seeing concerted efforts by national forces to come together around a constructive and civilized dialogue table without paying attention to narrow interests.

Mahmoud added that they believe in dialogue as a means for peaceful change saying that its failure of would push them to traditional means to overthrow the regime noting that the leaders since independence succeeded in achieving the national project by sitting down together.

He called for the formation of a two-year transitional national government to undertake the implementation of the dialogue and establishing a transitional national council to take up the issue of legislations.

In a televised address to the nation late last January, the Sudanese president announced a four-point plan for reform “to stop the war and bring peace, free political society, fight against poverty and revitalise national identity”.

He further called for political forces and even rebel groups should they lay down arms to engage in dialogue to agree on the implementation items to achieve these objectives.

NCP officials, including Bashir, have brushed aside opposition calls for the 2015 elections to be delayed and the formation of a transitional government that would work on drafting a new constitution to prepare the country for the polls.

The NUP and the PCP are the only major opposition parties who have so far accepted Bashir’s call for national dialogue.

But both parties warned that they would pull out of dialogue with the NCP if no progress is made.
(ST)