New Dawn Charter is not the answer

Former Sudanese Foreign Minister Hussein Suleiman Abu Saleh has expressed his disappointment at opposition parties who were signatories to the controversial New Dawn Charter. Several parties have signed the agreement which unites opposition parties and armed rebel movements to topple the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) together with calls to halt  the exploitation of religion in politics. The government has attacked signatories while security forces have arrested key political figures. The opposition National Umma Party (UNP) led by al-Sadek al-Mahdi, and the Popular Congress Party (PCP) led by Hassan al-Turabi have back-tracked from their initial support of the Charter. Other politicians and observers have defended the pact and described it as an attempt to bring the warring opposition closer together. Speaking to Arabstoday, Abu Saleh said he was "saddened" by the initial opposition parties' meeting and signing of the New Dawn Charter in the Ugandan capital Kampala. "These parties should not have done this. The Charter is the first step towards the destruction of Sudan and the creation of what these groups call the New Sudan." Abu Saleh, who served as Foreign Minister under President Omar al-Bashir's rule, noted that US special envoy to Sudan Princeton Lyman had used the phrase "New Dawn" a few months ago. "The American administration has continued to use this language even after the separation of South Sudan...[the US] has insisted on the referendum to determine the South's future and wants it to separate." The former minister added: "The government has made a lot of mistakes, allowing the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) to stand for gubernatorial and legislative elections in the states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan. Normally, a militant group would not be allowed to be part of an electoral process for any reason or under any pretext. The law which regulates the activities of political parties in Sudan is clear and unambiguous." Abu Saleh has established a political party named "Wadi Nile," or Nile Valley, to demand national consensus  bringing together the various political currents, to allow the country's permanent constitution to come to fruition. Abu Saleh described  the signing of the New Dawn Charter by the opposition parties as "an unforgivable error" adding: "The Sudan Liberation Movement, led by Abdel Wahed Mohammed Nour; the Justice and Equality Movement and the SPLM-N are all rebel groups that bear arms and dream of a new Sudan. The Sudan that these groups speak of has no place in  an Arab or Islamic identity, so we must reject these ideologies and rebel movements." Abu Saleh also described  these groups as  "lacking support" and "seek to carry out foreign agendas that have nothing to do with Sudan's future aspirations." The former Foreign Minister  also attacked "some Western groups", holding them responsible for the country's current problems. "These groups have been targeting Sudan well before al-Bashir's rule, but the plots have doubled more recently," he said. He dsclosed that the problem first came to the fore during his tenure as Foreign Minister: "When I was Foreign Minister under al-Bashir and in the previous government, I realised the magnitude of the problem. Christian and Zionist fundamentalist groups were not only determined to sabotage all efforts to normalise relations with the West, they were also behind campaigns to tarnish the image of Sudan and its leaders." However, he added: "A lot of Western countries and their institutions have good relations with Sudan, because they are motivated by mutual interests." Calling on young people to take control and bear responsibility, he said: "The government still has the opportunity to allow for genuine participation to resolve Sudan's problems. Opposition and non-opposition parties should seize  this opportunity and work for change, but with national interest as their motive. The state of Sudan is hundreds of years old and it is our duty to preserve it and prevent  those who target its safety and unity."