Closed-door meeting between tow Sudanese leading opposition figures in London

SudaneseOnline-A bilateral meeting between the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani, and leader of National Umma Party (NUP) Al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, convened behind closed doors on Thursday in the British capital of London
Sources close to the two parties told Khartoum-based Al-Rai Al-A’am newspaper on Friday that the meeting discussed the current political situation in the country, pointing out that al-Mahdi briefed al-Mirghani on Paris Declaration signed with Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF).
The sources explained that the two leaders also discussed the issue of the national dialogue announced by President Omar al-Bashir last January, besides the issue of the next election.
NUP and SRF leaders signed on 8August a joint statement calling for peace and democratic reform, stressing that genuine process implies to involve all the political forces and end the ongoing war in different parts of Sudan.
The declaration, which calls to unify the political and military opposition forces, emphasizes on the need to create a suitable atmosphere for the dialogue.
The NUP suspended its participation in the national dialogue after the arrest of its leader Sadiq al-Mahdi last May. The opposition party demands to include the rebels in the process and to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani, has indicated his party will participate in Sudan’s upcoming elections, also calling for the national dialogue process to be accelerated.
“The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) plans to participate in any free and fair election based on two principles: the practice of democracy and the right of citizens to participate,” he said in an interview with the London based Asharq Alawsat on Wednesday.

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