People's movement delegation meets with Turabi in Khartoum
The delegation representing the southern rebels met with by leader of the opposition People's Congress party Hassan al-Turabi in his house in the capital Khartoum.The delegation discussed with Turabi means of developing dialogue between the two sides that started since three years when the two sides signed a memorandum of political alliance that resulted in detaining Turabi for more than 2 years.
A source at the People's Congress party said that the meeting discussed means of developing joint programs on negotiation issues in the peace agreement under discussions in Nivasha, Kenya. The souther rebels delegation seeks to arrange a meeting between Turabi and John Ganarg, leader of the southern rebels. This meeting is due to be held outside Sudan.
A delegation representing the rebels is visiting leaders of the political forces. The delegation met with the leader of Umma party, al-Sadeq al-Mahdi, who said that "members of the delegation stressed during the meeting that the final peace agreement will cover all the Sudanese people strata." The southern rebels announced determination to form a political party in Khartoum in an indication to its readiness to shift into political civilian life after two decades of armed fighting against the successive Sudanese governments.
It is, however, expected that Sudan's (First) Vice-President, Ali Othman Muhammad Taha and Garang will sign before the end of this month an agreement that ends the civil war in Sudan, despite the fact that issues on resources and the authority as well as the fate of three other areas outside southern Sudan are still under discussions between the two sides.
The Sudanese foreign minister Mustafa Osman Ismail had announced that Khartoum will sign a final peace agreement before the end of the year. Ismail told reporters upon his arrival in Cairo that the round of current negotiations in Nivasha which is due to end on December 19 will settle all pending issues especially sharing resources and authority in the country.