‘Suspicious’ Sudanese opposition delegation visits Washington

Abdul Atti: SPLM-N speaking the language of a foreign state Khartoum – Abedalgoum Ashmeag Sudan's ruling National Congress Party [NCP] has slammed an ongoing visit to the United States by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North [SPLM-N].Dr Rabie Abdul Atti, a government spokesperson and NCP member, said the visit was part of a "suspicious" relationship linking the movement, currently leading an armed conflict in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan regions, with "some Washington pressure groups.”
Dismissing the suggestion that the visit aimed to resolve the conflict, Abdul Atti told Arabstoday the SPLM-N was "acting in line with the wishes of South Sudan’s government" and that "talk of severing ties between the SPLM-N and the South in light of the visit looks unreliable.”
Abdul Atti went on to accuse the group of "speaking the language of a foreign state," citing "internal dialogue” as "the only route into Sudan."
The NCP representative claimed that escalations in violence followed international visits by opposition groups like the SPLM-N.
He also quoted SPLM-N leaders as saying that there would be no future for peace in Sudan under a government led by current Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.
 The SPLM-N delegation, led by the movement's President Malik Agar, Secretary-General Yasir Arman and Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator Neuron Philip, arrived in Washington in response to an invitation by Preston Lehman, the US special envoy to Sudan.
The delegation is set to conduct meetings with US State Department officials discussing the humanitarian conditions in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan states.
The visit comes in the wake of the New Dawn Charter, an agreement between Sudanese opposition parties and movements, which was signed in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, recently. The agreement calls for a “peaceful uprising” to depose the al-Bashir government by force.
Commenting on the visit, writer and analyst Suleiman Siddik, said: "The United States is busy with its internal problems, especially its economic ones. In light of this reality, pressure groups may work to maintain Washington's stance towards Sudan. However it will definitely give these groups political support and urge others to do likewise.”
"The [SPLM-N] visit may be aimed at promoting the New Dawn Charter, which is an attempt by the movement to act in anticipation of the severing of ties between the South Sudanese government and the SPLM-N,” Siddik claimed.