In an unprecedented step, the ruling National Congress of the Sudan has yesterday evening been able to bring together all the leadership of the Eritrean opposition in a dinner banquate in which all the leaders of the Eritrean opposition factions and organizations met.This meeting is regarded a great transformation in the Eritrean political arena at which all the invited guests have sat together having put a side all the other differences which have been impeding the humanitarin as well as social aspects of the opposition;it is worthmenting that was preceded by bilateral meetings between the political powers, coordionation among the organizations and meetings at public occasions.Thus, at the end of the year 2002, a meeting had taken place between the the leadership of the alliance and the head of the National Party, Mesfun Hagos and after this, the meetings have continued and have paved the way for an extensive dialogue which were between a number of the opposition factions who have already out lined the dialogue trends for their visions have come to be clear over the intersection and difference points.The dinner banquate was characterized by social warmth and was far away from the atmosphere of tensions on the rythms of the Sudanese music. Ustaz Taha Awad, head of the Africa Desk at the ruling NC, has welcomed the leadership of the Eritrean opposition at the banquate beginning and then the Secretary General of the ENA, Tadlla Bairu, who has appreciated the collective meeting,said at his addressing the guests, " When Eritreans meet do forget every thing and this is what we have learned from today's session." Further more, he has welcomed the cooperation with the Eritrean opposition and has appreciated the stance of the Sudan towards the Eritrean people and its supportive role for the Eritrean people at various times. Then Ambassador Mohammed Nur has talked and appreciated the role of the Sudan in supporting the Eritrean revolution and the stances of the sudanese people toward Eritrea.Moreover, ambassador Mohammed Nur has asked for more efforts to strengthen the opposition to confront the regime in Asmara. On the other hand, Dr. Kamal Ebid, head of the external relation at the ruling NC has expressed the consolidation of the NC with the democratic chioces of the Eritrean people. Dr. Kamal has talked about the supportive Sudanese stances and expressed his disappointment of the hopes of the Eritrean people for the Eritrean regime has followed wrong policies. Dr. Kamal has asserted the inclination of the NC beside the democratic choice of the people of Eritrea which is represented in the opposition powers;indicating that " any regime which can not benefit its people can not benefit others" and the regime of Asmara has been characterized with exporting crisis to the neighbouring countries.

"The people of Eritrea are the most affected one by the regime and its advantages are with the peace and stability of the region and the stance of the Sudan conforms with the desires of the Eritreans;indicating that the choice of cooperation, development, peace and stability are demands of all the people of the region at the globalization era". Mr. Kamal has also expressed his happiness by the condct of the Eritrean Liberation Fron-RC- and has welcomed the assembly of the opposition powers and expressed the support of the sudan and called up on the Eritrean opposition to unite; a step which would speed up the realization of democracy and peace in Eritrea.

This dinner banquate is considered the first reaction of the NC ruling party towadrs the PFDJ which has adopted the Sudanese opposition starting with the conference of the1995 from which the Sudanese National Alliance has emerged; a conference which is considered a principal pillar for it brought together the Southern, Nothern and the racial oppositions.Thus, the PFDJ has come to be concerned only with the sudanese file at which Yemane Gabreab takes the responsiblity of the Southern as well as Darfur opposition where as Abdella Jaber takes the responsibility of the Northern opposition and general Tekhleab Manjos holds the task of the military wing to carry out the military operations and the coordiantion with the Sudanese opposition in terms of armament, training and intervention. Thus,what we see nowadays from the Sudanese government in terms of media activites; political and diplomatic movement and the attempt of bringing together the Eritrean opposition could not be compared with what the Eritrean regime carries out toward the Sudanese opposition.Thus, they have siezed up the opportunity and got exploited it in the interest of their plan because of their previous political experience. As a result, they were able to establist strong relations with Uganda,Eritrea, Egypt and Ethiopia and also they have got benefited from the media propaganda which the Sudanese government has carreid out against them as well as the neigbouring countries for they directed it toward realization of their objectives.Thus, what is required from the Eritrean opposition is to get the maximum benefit from the previaling atmosphere and if the supporters feel that the Eritrean opposition is the strategic alliance, they will adopt and provide them the necessary help but this reqiures:-It is must to unite the opposition and they have to agree on the minimum programe and they have to get away from the authority appetite and holding strongly on the names and they should not be misled by the grandiliquent lights which they see today and the provisional boon and they have to remember the days of the armed struggle and what they had at the time though they didn't get advantage of it as it would have been( and the repeated sayings, I met the so preisdent and the so chief), if not exploited for the interest of the national plan , it will be like the mileage for it will be drifted away by the moment diplomacy. More over,. the neighbouring countries, as they invest their resources on the opposition, have to come up with democratic choices and they have got to learn from their past.More over, every state has to define its choices and the Eritrean opposition should not be a burden on the Eritrean people as well as the neighbouring states and the biggest alliance which embraces all the opposition factions is respresented in the ENA.The highlighting of such a piece of news has a great bearing in the concerns of the Eritrean individual who is enduring the boundless sufferings under the grip of the dictatorship though the dinner banquate had not included any political deliberations and has no any political stamp for there were no any projection of political issues. However, the most important thing is that the assembly of all the opposition factions with all their various political coloures at one banquate.This dinner banquate reflects that the Sudanese government is still holding strongly on the file of the Eritrean opposition untill the individual ruling fades a way from Eritrea as well as it reflects the enthusiasm of the Sudanese government has increased particularlyt after the Nevasha peace agreement.

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