Mediation calls for Wednesday talks between Sudan's teams

The African Union and Ethiopia envoys called on Sudan's military junta and the forces of freedom and change to resume talks on Wednesday, on the back of the calls of the forces of change for the million-dollar stalemate ending with disobedience.

"The two parties were invited to meet tomorrow and they were informed of the time and place," African mediator Mohamed El-Hassan Labat told a joint press conference in Khartoum. "The main point of contention revolves around the formation of the body (the sovereign council) that will lead the transition process."

Labat pointed out that an agreement is imminent between the forces of freedom and change and the military council, stressing his readiness to help the parties to understand.

He added that constructive proposals had been reached and would be included in the final document, noting that there was no reason not to allow the final agreement between the parties.

"We call on both sides to agree on a sovereign council and a civilian government headed by a personality proposed by the forces of freedom and change," he said.

In turn, the Ethiopian envoy Mahmoud Dreir said at the same press conference that the consultations continue with the military council and the forces of freedom and change, expressing the hope to hold a direct meeting between the two sides tomorrow to discuss the differences.

The Ethiopian mediator met with the two sides separately on Monday and discussed with them a number of remarks he made on his draft to resolve the Sudanese crisis.

Million-toned processions
Hours before the press conference, the forces of freedom and change announced another million marches and civil disobedience on 13 and 14 July, while adhering to the Ethiopian-African initiative as a basis for negotiations with the junta after the results of the June 30 demonstrations.

The forces of freedom and change issued a two-week schedule starting with evening demonstrations and ending with disobedience, at a time when the leader of the forces of freedom and change, civil Abbas Madani to adhere to the Ethiopian-African initiative as a basis for negotiations with the military council.

Earlier in the day, a group of professionals (one of the components of the protest movement) announced that the security forces arrested the leaders of the rally Yassin Hassan and Abdel Majid Eidros.

In a statement posted on Facebook, the group added that a joint force of security and rapid support stormed the homes of leaders Abd al-Khaleq al-Tayeb, Qamriya Omar and Ihsan Fakiri.

Informed sources within the forces of freedom and change Al Jazeera Net that "the alliance of the revolution now wants not to engage in any direct negotiations and go directly to the handover of power and without delaying the understanding on the Legislative Council as proposed by the mediator."

The previous understandings between the military and the coalition on transitional government structures - before the sit-in on the third of last month - gave the coalition the right to form and nominate the prime minister and the cabinet, in addition to granting him a two-thirds majority in the legislative council before they disagree on the council of sovereignty and its presidency.

The Ethiopian mediator has already submitted a proposal for the Council of Sovereignty from 15 members, 7 from each party, with a civilian member to be named with the consent of both parties.