Sadiq al-Mahdi negotiates

Sadiq al-Mahdi was due in the Eritrean capital Asmara this week to begin official talks with President Isayas Afewerki, the Sudanese newspaper ‘Al-Ra’y al-Am’ said on Tuesday. Talks would focus on ties between Sudan and Eritrea and ways of “addressing the crisis between the two countries”, the newspaper said. Quoting “political sources”, the report said the UP official in charge of the political sector, Mubarak al-Fadil, would join Mahdi in Asmara. Fadil had held several meetings with “high-level government officials” resulting in a recent meeting with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, and the external relations minister, Mustafa Uthman, ‘Al-Ra’y al-Am’ reported. It said both sides had responded positively to the UP efforts.