Bashir reiterates rejection of Paris Declaration but welcomes Addis Ababa
deal
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November 3, 2014 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese president Omer al-Bashir strongly
repeated his rejection of the Paris Declaration signed between the rebel
groups and the National Umma Party (NUP) but welcomed Addis Ababa agreement
signed by the same forces and the national dialogue committee.
Addressing the second general assembly of the national dialogue on Sunday,
the president said that Israel stands behind Paris Declaration in an attempt
to dislodge the regime by force. He added the deal aims also to appoint
Sadiq al-Mahdi as interim president and to move the Sudanese capital to El
Fasher in Darfur region.
He further said they have the details of the circumstances under which
occurred the signing of the Paris Declaration, adding, "We are responsible
for protecting the country and they want to work out a road map against us".
Bashir went further to say that the rebels chose al-Mahdi because they were
seeking for an acceptable "national figure" to chair an interim government.
The Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) and the NUP signed the Paris
Declaration on 8 August after preliminary discussions conducted by the
party's vice-president Merriam al-Mahdi with the rebel groups in the French
capital.
The deal calls for a comprehensive solution involving all the political
forces including rebel groups. It further stresses on the need to create a
conducive environment in order to hold a genuine national dialogue.
ADDIS ABABA AGREEMENT
Bashir refuted calls to ensure public freedoms and to release political
detainees saying such calls are "nonsense", adding no political party
complained from restriction of its activities.
"Anybody have a complaint has to come and say it inside the committees (of
the national dialogue)," he further said.
The president said they are ready to militarily confront rebels on the
battlefield but also ready for dialogue with those who want negotiations.
He further welcomed the agreement on the national dialogue and
constitutional process reached by the national dialogue subcommittee for
external relations and the African Union High Level Implementation Panel
(AUHIP) on 4 September 2014.
We welcome this agreement even if the delegates of the dialogue mechanism,
Ghazi Salah Al-Din al-Attabani and Ahmed Saad Omer were not mandated to sign
it, he emphasised.
The same agreement was signed separately on the same day between the AUHIP
and the signatories of Paris Declaration.
At the time, the national dialogue delegation, which was in Addis to brief
the AUHIP about the signing of a road map for the internal process, refused
to sign a joint text with the rebels stressing they were not mandated to
sign such declaration of principles with the SRF and the NUP.
Al-Bashir told the meeting that the Chadian president Idris Deby continues
his efforts to convince the rebel groups to participate in the national
dialogue process and reiterated his call for the holdout political parties
and rebel groups to join the process.
However, he said they cannot postpone the national dialogue waiting
political forces that did not yet say when they would join it after their
preliminary approval of the process.
"But they can join the dialogue at any time," he said.
The NUP was among the first political forces that joined the dialogue
process but suspended its participation after the arrest of its leader Sadiq
al-Mahdi in May over statements accusing the government militias of
committing crimes in Darfur.
The general assembly of the dialogue authorised the national dialogue high
committee, aka "7 +7", to determine when the national dialogue will
commence.
Bashir said, the kick-off of the internal political process would not exceed
the end of November, and should take a period between one to three months.
He further indicated that its outcome will form a doable road map.
The meeting approved the mechanism's performance in the past period, the
road map for dialogue reached on 9 August, and Addis Ababa agreement ,
besides different reports submitted by several subcommittees.
ELECTION POSTPONEMENT
The general assembly meeting, which was attended by 83 parties, witnessed
divergences over the postponement of the general elections scheduled for
April 2015.
But the president categorically refused any delay of the electoral process
pointing to the need to conclude the dialogue before the end of his term to
avoid constitutional vacuum.
In statements after the meeting, the leader of Reform Now Movement (RNM)
Attabani accused the ruling party of seeking to impose the elections on the
political parties.
He further expected that the NUP would boycott the process after Bashir's
rejection of Paris Declaration.
He asked the president to explain what does he means by "red lines".
He said such statements mean to mislead the political forces, stressing that
the ruling party did not provide evidence confirming the existence of a plot
to seize power.
Sudanese government and Sudan People's Liberation Movement- North are to
meet on 12 November in Addis Ababa for talks on a cessation of hostilities
agreement. Similar talks are expected to take place soon with the rebel
groups in Darfur region.
The African Union plans also to hold an all parties conference in its
premises to discuss a road map for the national dialogue before to move
inside the country to start the process.