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The Sudanese ruling military council and the opposition alliance have reached an agreement in principle on the creation of a new body to lead the country until the next elections.
The agreement was reached at a meeting Saturday between the ruling Military Transition Council (CMT) and the Declaration of Liberty and Forces, which is an umbrella organization of opposition groups.
"The talks were opened with great transparency and we reiterated our common esteem for the country," Shams Eldin Kabashi, spokesman for the military council, told Al Jazeera.
"Discussions will continue and we are optimistic to reach a final result that we can announce to the Sudanese people as soon as possible".
After the fall of President Omar al-Bashir on March 11, after months of popular demonstrations against his 30-year regime, the MTC now oversees a two-year "transition period" during which it committed itself to hold presidential elections.
Opposition groups and protesters, however, continued to hold large demonstrations to demand that the ruling military council hand over power to a civilian administration.
The protesters canceled Saturday the meeting of the People's Congress party of opposition leader Hbadan al-Turabi, and left 65 wounded party members in the capital, Khartoum.
At the same time, the Sudanese opposition rejected the African Union's decision to give the ruling military council a three-month deadline for handing over power to a civilian administration.
"The Sudanese do not need the recommendation of the African Union," said Sadiq al-Mahdi, chairman of the Umma National Party.
Speaking at a press conference in Khartoum, al-Mahdi called on the TCM to "act wisely, not tension".
"We hope that the civil authority of the transition period will organize national, economic and international conferences," he added.
Al-Mahdi stressed that the transition period should follow free elections.
Hiba Morgan of Al Jazeera, reporting in Khartoum, said protesters continued to keep up pressure on the military council.
"In the last three weeks, more and more people have come from different parts of the country to join the sit-in.
"They say they want civilians, not the military, to be the ones who have the last say on the future of Sudan."
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
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