Turabi meets with Garang shortly
The US President George W Bush has extended on Wednesday evening for one year the sanctions imposed on Sudan since 1997.
A statement for the White House published on the sideline of Bush's visit to Dallas,Texas, said he had decided to "extend the emergency national measure which was issued on November 3rd, 1997 and the measures adopted during that date for one year."
The statement said that Bush had taken this measure because of the "works and policy pursued by the government of Sudan and still constitute a special and unordinary threat against national security and foreign policy of the USA." Since 1993, the US listed Sudan among the terrorism sponsoring states, and since 1997, Washington has had a complete economic sanctions on Sudan.
On the other hand, the Sudanese Islamic opposition member Hassan al-Turabi said he will be hold shortly a meeting with the leader of the southern rebels John Garang who is currently making negotiations with the Khartoum government.
Turabi told journalists that contacts were made in order to convene a meeting between him and John Garang but without setting a date for the meeting or its venue.
In a related issue, the opposition People's Congress party, which is presided over by Turabi, announced a program for national reconciliation in which it proposed the formation of a provisional national government composed of the current authorities and of southern and northern opposition members in order to lead the country for a period of one year after signing the peace agreement between Khartoum and the rebels.
The official in the party Bashir Adam Rahma said that according to this reconciliation, the government would keep 30% of the seats of the provisional government. It gives the southern rebels 30% and the opposition parties in the north 40%.
He explained in a press conference in Khartoum that after the end of the grace period of one year, presidential and legislative elections will be held on the ground of which a government will be formed leading the country for the five coming years left out of the provisional period of 6 years.
He also proposed that during the transitional period, resources will be shared at a rate of 60% for the central government and 40% for the various states. These percentages are to reflect the result of the expected referendum, supporting keeping the country united.