Sudan opposition leader calls for transitional government - comprising of national figures, not a coalition of political parties

April 13th, 2009

The leader of a Sudanese opposition party called today for the creation of a transitional government to prepare for the upcoming general elections scheduled for February 2010.

 

Islamist opposition leader Hassan al-Turabi, 76, sits on a couch at his house in Khartoum (Reuters)

Hassan Al-Turabi who heads the Popular Congress Party (PCP) held a press conference in Khartoum outlining 10 points to resolve the political crisis in the country.

The Islamist leader said that the government he is calling for should consist of national figures, not a coalition government of political parties.

“We don’t want it [government] a coalition of two parties but something that is representative of the nation that does not belong to a party and becomes a reference for national consensus” Al-Turabi said.

“We want it to run the country for a while…Its goal should be bringing the country out of the current crisis” he added.

The PCP chief criticized the current formation of the government saying that it is a “one man show”.

“The officials don’t know anything beyond their ministries. Even the foreign minister does not what is going on in Doha [talks between Khartoum and Darfur JEM]” he said.

Al-Turabi was released from jail last month after being detained on remarks in which he called on Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir to turn himself in to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Bashir on March 4 for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the conflict ridden region of Darfur.

Turabi today lashed out at the Bashir government accusing it of committing atrocities in Darfur and said that the warrant against the president will remain outstanding until his death.

He said he feels “ashamed” that Israeli officials do not enjoy any immunity like their peers in Sudan.

The former ally of Bashir criticized the ex-Southern rebel group, Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) saying that they have failed to make unity attractive two years before the referendum is due to take place.

Turabi stressed that the reform should include areas of political freedom, peace and justice, legal and political reform, accountability particularly with regards to corruption and creating an environment for conducting a fair and free elections.

Asked about the PCP relations with Egypt, Turabi said that his party is in constant contacts with Cairo and that one of his senior aides is currently holding talks with Egyptian officials with a message that emphasizes their role in the Darfur crisis.

He disclosed that Cairo is not happy about the Qatari approach on Darfur saying they want all political powers, rebel groups and NGO’s to be involved “in a manner different than the bilateral talks in Doha”.

Last week the Egyptian embassy in Khartoum vehemently denied reports that its ambassador Afifi Abdel-Wahab met with Turabi following his release from detention.

An Egyptian source told the London based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat daily that Cairo contacts with any Islamists group in any part of the world “is a red line” but excluding the Hamas militant Islamist group in control of the Gaza strip.

Turabi was the ideological mastermind to the 1989 coup staged in Sudan by Omar Hassan Al-Bashir.

In 1995 the Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak survived an assassination attempt in the Ethiopian capital by militants allegedly backed by Sudan. At the time Egypt and Sudan appeared to be on the brink of war over the attempt on Mubarak’s life.

However after Bashir and Turabi split rank in 1999 the relations between the two countries quickly returned to normal.

Some observes pointed out that Egypt’s main worry over the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant against Bashir that his 2nd Vice President Ali Osman Taha would take over bringing hard-line Islamists back to power.

Taha is the secretary general of the Islamic movement in Sudan and he was considered one of Turabi’s closest figures in the 90’s.

The 2nd Vice President was scheduled to visit Cairo last month but Bashir went instead and the reasons for the change were not known.

source.sudantribune