People's movement opens an office in Khartoum

The Sudan People's Liberation movement (southern rebels) yesterday inaugurated the opening of its first headquarters in Khartoum expected to be the second main headquarters. The celebration was attended by hundreds of Sudanese from the north and the south and most of the prominent Sudanese political figures.

The opening of the headquarters in the absence of any government officials marks the beginning of an official political activity for the movement in the north of Sudan. A white calf was slaughtered on this occasion as a symbol for peace and building new Sudan.

The chairman of the new office, Ramadan Abdullah, said that the days of fighting are over. He said in Arabic before a crowd of supporters "we have closed a file and opened another pertinent to dialogue and negotiations among all Sudanese for the sake of the new Sudan."

He added that the new office will be dedicated for political work and within its framework new members will be recruited and preparations made for the return back of national leaders including the leader of the movement John Garang. He said those who will run the office will be at the beginning from north of Sudan.