Cairo to host new round of Sudan dialogue Saturday

Cairo will host on Saturday a new round of dialogue between the Sudanese government and the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA), said a Sudanese Embassy source in Cairo Monday.

A government committee led by Abdel Basset Sabdrat wound up on Sunday talks with NDA chief Mohamed Othman Merghani in a bid to bring viewpoints closer as regards the issues that were not solved in the previous round in November.

The committee has proposed to the NDA a draft agreement calling for holding negotiations between them in accordance with Jaddah agreement inked between them in 2003 and Nairobi agreement signed between the government and rebels on Sunday. The two sides are to discuss in detail the draft agreement on Saturday and Sunday.

Once the two sides initial the agreement, it will be referred to the higher sides in February for endorsement.

Mahgoub Fadl, advisor to Sudanese President Omar Bashir, asserted Monday that the final peace agreement which the Khartoum government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) signed in Kenya Sunday would turn a new leaf in Sudan's history.

He added that the agreement would help make peace prevail allover Sudan and would in turn contribute to its development.

In statements to Sawt Al-Arab Radio over the phone, Fadl said that the agreement is considered a groundwork for solving all problems in Sudan's hot spots. "If such an agreement were easily applied, it would set an example to be followed in other war-torn areas in order to solve disputes in various parts of the African continent," he added.