Turabi in Umma talks

Senior officials from the northern opposition Umma party (UP) have held meetings with Dr Hassan al-Turabi, former speaker of parliament and secretary-general of the Popular National Congress. Turabi, a militant Islamist, split from the government this year. According to a report in the Khartoum daily ‘Al-Ra’y al-Amm’, Turabi met the head of Umma’s political sector, Mubarak al-Fadil, last Saturday and held talks about a national consensus and the need for a new political system. Both sides agreed to strengthen relations between the two parties, the report said. The UP vice-chairman, Dr Omar Nur al-Da’im, said the meeting between the two parties “came within the context of the UP’s plan to seek to engage in a dialogue with all political forces”, ‘Al-Ra’y al’Amm’ reported. He denied the meeting demonstrated an alliance between the UP and Turabi’s party.