Sudan’s NCP says progress achieved in dialogue with Umma party Article Comments (0) Email PrintSave --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 13, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has hailed its ongoing dialogue with the National Umma Party (NUP) saying that it has reached "an advanced stage" despite conflicting reports saying otherwise. The opposition party led by the former prime minister Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi has began talks with the ruling party in the North aimed at breaking a political stalemate and amid growing tensions between the government and the opposition parties. North Sudan is encountering worsening economic conditions caused by rising inflation and shortage of foreign currency reserves as well as the secession of south Sudan which voted for independence in a referendum earlier this year. NCP officials are also concerned about the possibility that the revolutionary fever sweeping the region may reach Sudan. Al-Mahdi’s meeting with president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir earlier this year has angered other Northern opposition parties and even many within the NUP who are pushing for confrontation with the government. The ex-PM told his supporters in El-Gadaref state this week that the NCP has the option of accepting what he described as the "National Agenda" or face an uprising. Sources at the NUP told Sudan Tribune that so far little success has been made so far in bridging the differences between the two sides. The talks are centered on initiating a democratic transformation process after South Sudan’s secession becomes formal next July. The NCP’s political secretary Ibrahim Ghandour said that joint committees are negotiating in "good spirits" and downplayed Al-Mahdi’s remarks in El-Gadaref suggesting that it was made as a political tactic. On the other hand the NUP revealed that a committee has been formed to prepare contingency plans should an agreement be reached with the NCP or if they fail to broker a deal. (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD info" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/jfdinfo?hl=en.
