Bashir renewed commitment to the federation and peace in the south
Sudan, Politics, 10/4/2004

The Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir said that he cannot rule Sudan alone and that he is ready to sign the peace "today rather than tomorrow."

In a speech he had delivered before the leadership of the Sudanese women federation, al-Bashir said that he is "ready to sign a peace agreement ( with the south) today rather than tomorrow." This was a reply to the accusation raised by the leader of the southern rebels John Grang that the government of Khartoum is delaying in signing the peace agreement in order to invest oil resources of the south for a longer time because of the higher and increasing oil price at the meantime.

The peace agreement which was presumed to be signed in August or September stated to share oil resources between the south and the central government, equally.

Al-Bashir considered that the success of the government annoy what he described the enemies of Sudan, noting " that the government cannot be blamed over the failure of the negotiations with the ( opposition democratic national coalition) which has Cairo as a headquarters, accusing the coalition of postponing the negotiations.

Concerning Darfur, al-Bashir said that talking about a self rule in Darfur is meaningless because all states have limited authorities in the current federal rule system, stressing that the government is still committed to the federal system.

On the other hand, the Sudan Liberation Movement opposed the proposal made by the Sudanese central government to alienate the rebels of the Justice And Equity movement in Darfur to the west of the country from the peace talks in Abuja.

The Sudanese president who had accused the Justice And Equity movement of organizing a coupe attempt by the end of September, hoped repeatedly to alienate the movement from Abuja negotiations concerning Darfur.

A spokesman for the Sudan's Liberation Movement, Mahjoub Mahjoub Hussein, said that the government has no right to select who it wants from the opposition to take part in the talks.

Negotiations are expected to be resumed on October 21 in the Nigerian capital between Khartoum and the rebels in an attempt to find out a political solution of the conflict in Darfur.

Previous Stories:
  Khartoum agrees on deployment of new forces in Darfur   (10/2/2004)
  Bashir accuses Washington of arming Darfur rebels; Garang does not oppose sanctions on Khartoum   (10/1/2004)
  Tantawi: Egypt, Sudan one body throughout history   (9/30/2004)

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