Sudanese opposition leader joins mediation between government, SPLM-N

The US Special Envoy to Sudan and the leader of the Sudanese opposition Reform Now Party (RNP) have been invited to Addis Ababa by the head of the AU mediation team between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N). On Saturday they made an attempt to converge the stances of the two parties on the peace negotiations concerning the armed conflict in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan states. US Special Envoy Donald Booth met with the head of the Sudanese government delegation and Presidential Assistant, Ibrahim Ghandour. No statement was released after the meeting, according to Sudan Tribune on Sunday. RNP leader Ghazi Salaheldin El Atabani met with Ghandour, and Yasir Arman, the head of the SPLM-N delegation. In a statement issued following the meetings, El Atabani said the two parties are willing to overcome obstacles despite their existing differences. “Ending war and achieving peace will be the prelude for resolving all the problems the country is facing. There is a political will to overcome the obstacles between the two negotiating parties.” Rescue Osama Tawfig, a RNP leading figure, told the media on Saturday that El Atabani was invited by the head of the AU High-Level implementation Panel (AUHIP), Thabo Mbeki, to join the mediation team to help rescue the peace negotiations from collapsing, the pro-government daily Sudan Vision reported on Sunday. The two delegations expect the AUHIP mediators to invite them to meet any time to discuss responses to proposals after which they will engage in direct negotiations to begin a new phase of discussion on the contentious issues. The AU mediation team supports the Sudanese government’s rejection of the SPLM-N proposal to include the issue of ending war in all areas including Darfur in the agenda of talks.  Framework agreement Since the resumption of talks on 22 April, the two negotiating parties have failed to finalise a framework agreement for negotiations based on a draft proposed by the AUHIP team on 18 February. AUHIP has refused a demand by the SPLM-N to include Darfur, stressing that the process should only involve negotiations on conflict in the Two Areas of South Kordofan and the Blue Nile. In response, the SPLM-N rejected the AUHIP draft agreement, saying the UN Security Council resolution 2046 and other resolutions issued by the AU, state that negotiations between the two sides must be based on the framework agreement signed on 28 June 2011 – denounced by Khartoum less than a week later, on 3 July. The 28 June agreement provides that the SPLM-N and Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) should jointly participate in the democratic transition process. According to Sudan Tribune, sources close to the mediation team in Addis Ababa say that Mbeki has proposed the 28 June agreement to remain valid for the negotiations of political and security matters, and that he will demand that both sides agree on the reference points for discussions pertaining to humanitarian assistance and national dialogue. File photo: RNP leader Ghazi Salaheldin El Atabani (freesouthsudanmediacenter.com) Related: Resumed peace talks between Sudan government and SPLM-N collapse (24 April 2014)