The top U.S. diplomat for Africa on Wednesday joined an international effort to press Sudan's military rulers and the opposition toward a deal on a transition to democracy two months after the overthrow of former President Omar al-Bashir.
An Ethiopian envoy has said thatthe military and opposition groups have agreed to resume talks on the formationof a transitional council that collapsed after the violent dispersal of aprotest sit-in on June 3.
Tibor Nagy, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for Africa, met on Wednesday with the main opposition coalition and held talks with Sudan's acting Deputy Foreign Minister Ilham Ibrahim.
Before the meetings, the State Department said Nagy was going to urge the parties to work toward an environment conducive to the resumption of negotiations. The United States also on Wednesday named veteran diplomat Donald Booth as its envoy to Sudan.
After meeting Nagy, the mainopposition coalition said that it would only participate in indirect talks andit would impose other conditions.
"We have informed theEthiopian prime minister that we refuse to have direct negotiations with thetransitional military council," said Madani Abbas Madani, a leader of theDeclaration of Freedom and Change Forces.
"The point of contentionbetween us is clear and our terms are clear; we are talking now about issues oftransition to civilian rule and the rights of martyrs."
The bloodshed has drawn expressions of concern from world powers including the United States, which imposed sanctions on Sudan under Bashir over its alleged support for militant groups and the civil war in Darfur.
