A leading member of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s National Congress Party (NCP) says the ruling party is negotiating with other opposition parties to find solutions to problems in Sudan.
Hagmagid Swar, head of the Political Mobilization Secretariat of the dominant NCP, says the aim of the ongoing talks is to ensure that “absolute” peace and security return to the country while emphasizing the need for unity in the aftermath of general elections.
“[The] NCP is in negotiations with the other parties in Sudan so as to have solutions for the coming problems which we have to answer to these questions: first, the question of referendum and the implementation of the CPA (Comprehensive Peace Agreement), and solving the Darfur problem and facing the needs of our people,” he said.
The NCP said during Sudan’s general elections it would invite all opposition groups into government if it won the election.
Swar said the ruling party wants solutions from all groups to resolve challenges the country faces.
“The NCP decided to discuss these issues with the other parties because as you know, Sudan is for all, for NCP and the other parties. So now we have negotiations with these other parties,” Swar said.
Sudan’s National Electoral Commission declared President Bashir winner of the vote after several opposition groups boycotted the poll citing widespread irregularities.
But Swar said opposition reservations will not hamper the ongoing negotiations.
“Before the election, they started to build this strategy to say that the elections are not fair. So I don’t think that this position will affect the negotiations with them, because now we received some answers from different parties. They said we are ready to discuss with you these issues,” Swar said.
The recent five-day general election was Sudan’s first in 24 years after decades of civil war. The vote is also integral to the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed between the north and the south.
The NCP has often been accused of lacking the political will to complete a full implementation of the CPA, but Swar denies the accusation.
“This is not right. I assure you that we are genuine to discuss these issues with the parties, and especially with the SPLM, because we have to solve the problem of the referendum and the territories between the south and the north… we said that now we start a new era in Sudan, so let us all come to a round table to discuss these problems and to come to an agreement with all the other parties,” Swar said.
He said that President-elect Bashir will soon name his Cabinet. Swar also said that the new Cabinet will focus on completing implementation of the CPA and solving the problems in Darfur.
