Sudanese minister denies mediation for meeting between al-Bashir and Garang

Sudanese minister of state at the ministry of information and communications al-Tayeb Mustafa has denied rumors that Sudan had requested former President of South Africa Nelson Mandella to make a mediation in order to organize a meeting between the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and the leader of the rebellion movement in Southern Sudan John Garang.

This was expressed in a statement by Mustafa issued on Sunday in al-Khartoum by the Sudanese daily " Akhbar al-Youm."

Earlier the Sudanese foreign relations minister Mustafa Othman Ismael had denied any initiative from South Africa concerning the Southern Sudan issue.