DATE=3/17/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=SUDAN OPPOSITION (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-260299
BYLINE=CAROL PINEAU
DATELINE=ASMARA, ERITREA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The Sudanese opposition coalition, the
National Democratic Alliance, has concluded a
leadership council meeting in Eritrea. As Carol
Pineau reports from Asmara, the opposition alliance
lost one of its member groups, but the remaining
groups appear more united.
TEXT: The moderate Islamic Umma Party officially
resigned from the N-D-A just as alliance leaders were
voting to revoke Umma's membership.
The crisis in the Sudanese opposition alliance began
last May, when leaders of Umma held private talks with
the then-speaker of Sudan's parliament, Hasan al
Turabi. Umma again broke ranks in November and held
talks with Sudanese President Omar el Bashir.
In December, President Bashir ousted Mr. Turabi. And
Umma Party General Secretary Omar Nureldayem says that
means now is the time to work for a political solution
to the 17-year Sudanese civil war.
/// NURELDAYEM ACT ONE ///
What we are doing in the opposition led to a
split in the regime. Now Turabi and Bashir are
totally in disarray, and this is a chance for
everybody who is serious. We have to go for an
all-party conference to deliberate over the main
issues of the country, first to end the war,
second to restructure the country.
/// END ACT ///
The other opposition groups disagree. They dismiss
recent reform moves by President Bashir as a mere
"charm offensive." And the remaining members of the
N-D-A alliance say the opposition must continue to use
all means at its disposal to topple the government in
Khartoum.
When the government recently said opposition groups
could return, Umma decided to make the move. The Umma
secretary-general, Mr. Nureldayem, says the other
opposition groups are making a mistake not to join
him.
/// NURELDAYEM ACT ///
With all these changes in the area, I believe
not only the Umma, but all of them here, should
go to their country and work. Their analysis of
the situation is not correct. They are
dreamers more than politicians. In politics you
have to be more practical and try to analyze
things properly and try to do what is possible,
not what you dream of. That is the big
difference between us and our friends.
/// END ACT ///
Umma has long been at odds with another Sudanese
opposition group, the more militant Sudanese People's
Liberation Army, or S-P-L-A, led by John Garang.
The Umma party governed Sudan until it was ousted in
1989 in a military coup led by the current ruling
party. The S-P-L-A had strongly opposed the Umma
government. But when the opposition alliance was
formed three years ago, the S-P-L-A and Umma Party
joined in a politically-advantageous but uneasy
partnership.
Umma's secretary-general, Mr. Nureldayem, says a
political solution is the only way to end Sudan's long
civil war. He says that despite tremendous efforts by
S-P-L-A leader John Garang, the military solution has
not worked.
/// NURELDAYEM ACT THREE ///
How can they do it? I mean, politically, if
there is a chance that you can find a political,
negotiated solution, we're for it. Militarily
you cannot do it. Dr. John Garang has been
fighting for 17 years. Up to this moment he
couldn't take Joba, he couldn't take Molakar, he
couldn't take Wau [three government garrison
towns that the opposition has failed to
capture]. What is 17 years? How can he reach
for Khartoum? This is a fallacy, it is total
unawareness of the situation.
/// END ACT ///
A spokesman for the S-P-L-A says his organization is
sorry to lose one of the N-D-A opposition alliance's
members. But he adds, it means the N-D-A is more
unified and no longer has to waste energy on in-
fighting with the Umma Party. (Signed)
NEB/CP/JWH/WTW
17-Mar-2000 16:51 PM EDT (17-Mar-2000 2151 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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