SPLM delegation fails to meet President Al-Bashir in Khartoum
14 October 2007 (Miraya FM)
Speaking exclusively to Miraya FM, the spokesman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) northern sector, Deng Goj, said that the movement’s delegation headed by the vice president of the Government of South Sudan, Dr. Riek Machar, has failed to hand a letter from the First Vice President of the Republic, Salva Kiir Mayardit, to President Omer Al-Bashir.
Mr. Goj said that the letter was received by the Minister for Presidency, Bakhri Hassen Salih, rather than Al-Bashir.
Goj said that the refusal of President Al-Bashir to meet the SPLM delegation proves that the National Congress Party (NCP) does not want to comply with the movement’s demands.
"In my own opinion not of the SPLM the message the NCP wants to communicate to us, the message has reached us," said Mr. Goj adding that, "and the NCP wants to move the same direction they started with, during its press conference and that is the escalation of the situation".
Goj said Dr. Machar was suppose to meet the President of the republic and the chairman of the NCP because the committee established by the SPLM leadership and the First Vice President of the Republic was assigned to hand the resolutions of the SPLM political bureau to President Al-Bashir.
"But comrade Dr. Riek Machar Vice chairman of the SPLM and Vice President of the government of the south was unable to meet the President of the Republic, who authorized Bakri Hassen Salih the Minister for Presidency to receive the message," said Goj.
He added, "he is not the right man to discuss with him (Machar) or to give an opinion to the SPLM on the issue".
Meanwhile, the acting head of the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) , Taye Zerihoun, who visited Juba on Saturday said that the organization will help in resolving the disagreements between the two partners.
Speaking to Miraya FM, the spokeswoman of the UNMIS, Radhia Achouri, said that Taye Zerihoun’s visit to Juba is intended to look into the circumstances which led to the withdrawal of the SPLM from the government of national unity.
"The objective of this visit is to discus with the higher leaders in the government of south Sudan the circumstances of the decisions that were taken by the SPLM to the suspension of its participation of ministers and advisors in government of national unity and to discus with them the coming steps to resolve this issue and to deliver to the SPLM leaders the statement of the UN Secretary General concerning such a decision," said Achouri.
However, the SPLM said that the Crisis Management Team established by the movement’s political bureau in Juba has met with political parties and civil society organizations over the crisis on the government of national unity.
The deputy secretary-general of the SPLM, Yasir Arman, had aslo convened an explanatory meeting over the crisis in the government of national unity with the European ambassadors in Khartoum .
Mr. Arman said that there is a possibility of reaching a solution through the commitment of implementing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).The State Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ali Karti, had earlier conducted an explanatory meeting with the diplomatic missions in Khartoum .
Mr. Karti said that the SPLM should excise efforts in negotiating with its partner.Speaking to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the Sudanese Foreign Minister, Dr. Lam Akol, said that all the ministers, the State Ministers and the Presidential Advisors of the SPLM in the government of national unity will abide by the suspension decision.
Dr. Akol said that the return of the SPLM to the government depends on the response of the NCP to the demands of the movement.