Al Bashir to Be Sworn-in As President today amidst Regional and International Presence
(SV)
In collaboration with the National Assembly and the National Congress Party (NCP), the Presidency has completed all preparations for the ceremony of swearing-in of Omer Hassan Ahmed Al Bashir as President elected by the Sudanese people for a 4- year term.
The inauguration ushers the country into a historic, delicate and highly important phase.
The state protocol yesterday received the advanced delegations of the state's guests who will participate in the inaugural ceremonies.  It is expected that many important guests will take part in the event.
Informed sources confirmed that the president of seven neighboring, friendly and sisterly countries will attend the inaugural ceremony. More presidents are expected to arrive in the runner up to the oath taking time.
The Eritrean president arrived yesterday afternoon and Mauritanian's Mohammad Ould Abdul Aziz arrived yesterday evening while the Chadian delegation advanced team arrived last Monday. Idris Debby is one of the presidents who is very enthusiastic about participating in the ceremony. It was confirmed that the presidents of Malawi, Bingu wa Mutharika and Jibouti's Ismail Gaili  will attend the event. The Ethiopian Premier, Meles Zinawi associated his participation on the completion of the electoral process in his country expected to have been finalized yesterday. The Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak will be represented by his Defence Minister, Field Marshal Al Tantawi. The state of Qatar will participate with a high-level ministerial delegation. China, a friend of Sudan will be represented by her health minister. Sudan Vision follow-up indicates that a big number of regional and international organizations will also take part in the ceremony. The Arab League Secretary General Umr Moussa will be represented by his deputy and a high – level delegation will represent The Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). The African Union (AU) announced that it would send a high level delegation while the UN mission to Sudan chief Haile Menkerious and  the UNAMID chairman, Ibrahim Gambari will participate in the event. The participation will be extensive despite the warnings and criticisms by hostile international organizations. In addition to the guests coming from abroad the diplomatic missions accredited to Sudan will also be present at the ceremony.


More than thirty invitations were sent out the presidents of the neighbouring, friendly and sisterly countries in addition to the ones sent out to the regional and international organizations doing businesses with Khartoum.
The presidency political department director, Ambassador Osman Nafie described the election of Al Bashir as President by his people as an important event in the history of Sudan.
In a press conference, Nafie said that the enormous regional and international participation in the inauguration of President Al Bashir is an indication of the acceptance of his victory by the international community. It is equally indicative of the warm relations between Sudan and its regional neighbors. Nafie added that the welcome the inauguration received sets the stage for the next one during which the renewal of trust in Sudan by countries interested in its affairs will facilitate tackling all problems and issues facing the country. Additionally, it proves that Sudan has a good number of friends who trust Al Bashir's leadership for another term that will draw up a frame of the regional and international role that will be played by the Sudan under his stewardship in the international arena.
Informed source disclosed that the appointment of a first vice president from south Sudan will be announced during the President's swearing–in before the National Assembly tomorrow as per Article1(1)-62 of the Constitution.
It is worth mentioning is that Salva Kiir Mayardit was sworn in as GoSS President last Friday in Juba in the presence of Vice President Ali Osman Mohammed Taha, a number of ministers, advisors in addition to the Ugandan President Yuri Museveni and representatives of Egyptian and Kenyan presidents.
The elected MPs were sworn in last Monday before Professor Souad Al Fateh paving the way for the swearing-in and inauguration of the President today.

Darfur peace talks to resume in June
(ST)
Darfur peace talks will resume during the first week of June announced today the Qatari state minister for foreign affairs after a meeting with the Sudanese Presidential adviser.
Last April the mediation suspended the negotiations between two rebel groups and the delegation of the Sudanese government due to general elections in the country.
The talks will resume on June 6, and all the parties including JEM will be called to Doha for the negotiations, an informed source confirmed to Sudan Tribune.
Qatari state minister Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud told reporters that invitation letters would contain a question on whether they wish to add something on the proposed agenda.
"The Justice and Equality Movement is part of the negotiations and we hope that they will reconsider their position and join the negotiations," he further said.
The Qatari minister released positive signals about the possibility of granting Khalil Ibrahim travel documents to move out of Libya to Doha directly if he wishes to participate in the negotiation.
"It is the duty of the United Nations but also our duty that if the brothers (in the Justice and Equality Movement) want to come, the mediation would provide them with travel documents to come to Doha," He further said that "the Justice and Equality Movement is part of the negotiations and we hope to reconsider its position and continue the negotiations".
Bassole echoed Al-Mahmoud remarks saying the mediation is ready to issue travel documents for the rebels to return to the venue of the process. He also said they are in touch will all the parties.
However, JEM rebels said they would not go to Doha unless the mediation guarantees the return of their leader Khalil Ibrahim to Darfur.



AU head: Southern Sudan’s independence would be ‘major problem’ for Africa
(Mirayafm)
The head of the African Union (AU), Jean Ping, voiced concern on Tuesday about Southern Sudan voting for independence in the 2011 referendum, saying it would be a ‘major problem' for other African nations which could be confronted by similar situations. Ping told journalists that from the beginning efforts have been made in favor of making Sudan's unity attractive.
However, he noted that the choice of the people of Southern Sudan must be respected regardless of the outcome of the referendum.
The statements came during events marking Africa Day in Burkina Faso Tuesday

Southern Parliament MPs Call for Maintenance of Country Unity
(SV)
The south Sudan elected Parliament has passed in its maiden sitting last Monday, Salva Kiir Mayardit's address on the occasion of his inauguration as GoSS president last week.
The address was read by Mayardit before a crowd in Juba. In its first session, which was chaired by James Wani Iga, the house speaker, the MPs demanded that the 15 points mentioned in Mayardit's address should be translated into facts on the ground. The honorable MPs furthermore stressed the importance of transferring the towns to the countryside. They also called on GoSS to focus, during the next seven months, on the referendum by mobilization of people and sparing no money or resources to maintain the unity of the country. In this connection, the GoSS ex- minister of labor and civil service, Mrs Awut Deng said that the region is in need of 60 % of the vote to achieve a satisfactory outcome in the referendum scheduled for early next year. The ex-minister criticized the deduction of 80% from the budget to allocate it to salaries stressing that the development budget should take precedence. The Parliament leader, Peter Basher Bendi suggested the addition of a health committee to the existing 15 parliamentary committees.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator in Sudan to assess humanitarian situation
The United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, John Holmes, arrives in Sudan on Wednesday on the second leg of his African tour. His five day visit aims to assess the humanitarian situation in Southern Sudan and Darfur.
Holmes is expected to visit Western Bahr el Ghazal and Warrab States to examine issues of food security, humanitarian assistance to displaced people, and the rising concerns of the inter-tribal conflicts.
Earlier, during a visit in Chad, Holmes urged the government forces to ensure security in the east of the country so that aid workers can continue to assist the region's refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).
In Chad he further expressed concerns about the security and protection of civilians when the UN Mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) and Chad, known as MINURCAT, withdraws. The growing food crisis in several drought-stricken areas in Chad prompted his concerns as MINURCAT is expected to withdraw from the country in the coming months at the request of the government.

Sudanese Opposition Forces and the Upcoming Stage
(Opinion)
Several of our opposition powers deny recognizing their political reality together with keenness to blame others. During the general elections process it was very clear that those opposition political powers are suffering real inner crises which were shaped in a very long period, so dealing with that crises needs longer time.
The Umma party under the leadership of Sadiq Al-Mahdi and the Unionist party under the leadership of Mohammed Osman Al-Mirghani were afflicted by weakness in the past two decades due to the spread of education and the growing numbers of intellectuals who were attracted to new political manifestos in the light of the standstill programmes of the two old political parties.
There are several other reasons for the fallback in the two parties membership related to the sects' components (Ansar and Khatmiyya) as the spiritual role declined, in the contrary of the past, as religion doesn't need a sect or a saint and that is due to the information revolution and the awareness spread.
The dilemma of these two parties in particular is that they are still up to this moment betting only on their past claming that they were the only two political parties which were leading the Sudan after independence from the British colonialism in 1956.
It is true that the two parties continued in any parliament round acquiring the majority of the seats, hence forming coalition governments, without any consideration to the other growing political powers.
The leaders of the two old political parties disregarded the change in people's understanding and concepts according to their interests which is a nature of life.
The two old political parties were splintered into several factions a matter that needs reconsideration from the leaders instead of blaming others.
We need strong political forces to shoulder the national responsibility and help in the peaceful power handling not to fight only for getting its lost governance.
All our political forces need to rebuild their organizations and to introduce a way of fair opposition afar from using any means that are out of the national fence.
Gone is the time when citizens just go blindly to the ballot boxes to vote for the sect without knowing even who the candidate is.
Those opposition forces should prepare for the coming elections round and that can only be through unifying their parties and working out a clear manifesto to convince the voters.