Interview with Presidential Assistant on National Dialogue
20 January, 2016KHARTOUM (SUDANOW)—We are publishing hereunder excerpts from an interview SUNA has conducted with Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid, the Presidential Assistant, Deputy Chairman of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and the government chief negotiator, on the progress of the National Dialogue Conference (NDC), the peace negotiations on the Two Areas of South Kordofan and Blue Nile and Darfur, the forthcoming administrative Darfur referendum and other issues.
SUNA:- How do you evaluate the deliberations in the different committees of the NDC now that the conference is now on its third month?
Hamid:-The National Dialogue is the biggest political project; it is the most important post-independence accomplishment which should have been made immediately after independence for agreement on the country's strategic interests. The Sudanese people have now sat down together to determine the interests of the state, rather than those of a political party or a government. A serious and transparent dialogue is presently being conducted within the six NDC committees as well as the different sectors of the society which will come up with resolutions for national construction.
Q:-Was the extension of the NDC for another month meant to allow time for influential forces to join and for other motives?
A:-The influential forces are taking part and the extension was because some of the committees have not accomplished their deliberations and also to give time for a group of movements, which were late in joining the NDC, to express their viewpoints. There are also some forces, like Sadek al-Mahdi and the SPLM-N, which might have changed their position and which we are going to meet in a preparatory meeting and we expect that they will join the dialogue after that meeting. All these are logical reasons for the extension.
Q:-There are reports that Sadek al-Mahdi will return home soon for participation in the NDC. What do you think of this?
A:-Any Sudanese party or faction has the right to take part in this national project which is the most important project after the independence. There is no reason for any party or group to isolate itself from this inclusive dialogue which is now going on at the levels of the political forces and social sectors.
Q:-Some political forces within the NDC committees accuse the NCP of monopolizing the deliberations and so is the Popular Congress Party (PCP). Is there any party which influences the discussions?
A:-I don't believe that there are forces which accuse the NCP. Each party is represented by one member in each committee and the opinions are voiced freely while the resolutions are passed either by consensus or by 90% of the participants while each party of any size has one vote and the chances are equal. All those who have come from abroad and the ambassadors have testified to the sincerity of the deliberations.
Q:- The NCP is opposed to formation of a transitional government. What will happen if the NDC approves this proposal, especially as the PCP of Dr. Turabi and other parties taking part in your government call for creation of a transitional government of a two-year term be chaired by incumbent President Omar al-Beshir?
A:- This is sort of skipping stages. We have said that the strategic objective of the dialogue is to reach agreement on security, economic, identity and system of ruling issues. This will be followed by the process of implementation of the resolutions of the conference. The NCP does not object to a transition but it must be a smooth one; it does not object to a national government, either; we are, in fact, having a national government at the present time as more than 14 parties are participating in the present government. We object to a transitional situation because it will be unwise and unacceptable to shift from an independent regime to a transitional one as a full transition and dissolution of all the present constitutional institutions will not be in the interest of the Sudan. We are not talking about the NCP but about the other parties in the government.
Global experience has shown that any state which disbands its armed forces, its police, security and civil service will collapse.
Q:-In your position as the chief negotiator for the government in the talks on the Two Areas, how do you evaluate the progress of those negotiations after nine rounds? Is there any link between those negotiations and the national dialogue?
A:-I think the current stage is different than all the previous states. In the past the armed opposition used to talk about changing the regime by force and I believe that it was evident to them that the regime cannot be changed by force. Then they talked about changing it by a popular uprising and, again, it was clear to them that they do not have the ability to stage a successful popular uprising and there is no wise person who persists on taking a course which he has experienced and understood that it would not lead him to his target. In the last round we felt that the armed movements were willing for reaching peace whereas on the previous occasions they were talking about cessation of hostilities and so on so forth. Although we have remained committed to the ceasefire that was declared by the President last October, the other party has since then made 67 attacks, most of them not on the armed forces, but on gold miners, pastoralists, farmers and civilian travelers. In the past they used to raise false slogans such as humanitarian operation which in the end would be to their own interests. In the last round of talks with the SPLM-N we told them clearly that we want to pursue a comprehensive peace that would solve all problems and we expect that we will come closer to each other in the next rounds of talks with the SPLM-N.
Q:-Regarding the other track of negotiations, your position and that of the armed movements towards the DDPD have not changed?
A:-There is no big problem with regards to Darfur, except for personal interests, maybe, as the DDPD was signed in the presence of the UN, the African Union and the Arab League. Late Khalil Ibrahim, who was key negotiator, refused to sign the agreement because he wanted to be the only signatory, not because the agreement was not good. Minni Minawe has no problem with the DDPD and he had made a pretty good speech during that time in Doha. Judging from the reports on meetings with Qatari officials and the informal round of talks with the government, I think the movements will eventually join the DDPD and their political problems and the security arrangements will be discussed later on.
Q:-What is the link between the dialogue and the informal talks?
A:- The link between the two is a preparatory meeting to discuss procedures for their joining the national dialogue on agreement to those procedures. The movements also agree that dialogue on the national issues must be conducted with the other political forces. The current circumstances are opportune and each faction can now come to the dialogue, in spite of possible attempts of dissuasion by the West. I believe the entire world is for peace in Darfur and in the Two Areas. I think there are now two camps- one for dialogue and another for war but I believe the dialogue camp will win the game.
Q:- The National Dialogue began with the vault speech in January 2014, then formation of the 7+7 coordination mechanism and finally ended up with NDC committees which are now in session. Is there a plan for holding another conference to approve what is reached by the NDC and resolve what remains of the problems?
A:-There is a committee of conciliators headed by Marshal Swar al-Dahab that will conciliate the different opinions and agreement is not reached on some issues, the committee will submit those controversial issues to the general assembly of leaders of the political parties and movements. Voting will be conducted in the general assembly and the issues will be resolved either by consensus or by 90% of the votes.
Q:-Preparations are underway for an administrative referendum in Darfur on whether the territory will be a unitary region or remain as it is now?
A:-The voting in the referendum will be based on the interest of the nation and the individual and will not be made for political reasons. It is provided for in the DDPD and should have been conducted last year but this has not happened and for this reason the DDPD was extended for a sixth year. It is an obligation we have to fulfill.
Q:- But this could influence other parts of the country and if the Darfurians opt for one region, others will demand a similar system?
A:- There is a major problem within the NDC as some participants call for cutting down the number of the country's 18 states and name them regions. There are others who are in favor of a federal system of government with limited powers confined to the foreign policy and security, compared to the local government which has been in effect since 1953. We in the NCP believe that the most appropriate system is the present administrative states' system.
Q:-How do you assess the recent incidents in Ginainah, Central Darfur? Were there external hands behind them?
A:- The regrettable incidents began with the killing of a man, then escalated into a tribal one that led to the killing of two more persons and a wave of revenge developed. It regrettable incidents were individual; there might have been groups which have intervened but not for political reasons and might have been for one reason or another; the escalation was probably due to an erroneous mobilization of the tribes. The situation is now quiet.
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