KHARTOUM, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the opposition Freedom and Change Alliance on Friday agreed on the political declaration, which determines authorities of the transitional period, thus getting closer to officially signing a deal.
"The two parties held the third round of talks within a fraternal, constructive and responsible atmosphere and reached a full agreement on the political declaration document," Mohamed Hacen Lebatt, the African Union (AU) envoy to Sudan, told reporters early Friday.
"The two parties have also agreed to meet on Saturday to approve the second document, which is the constitutional declaration," he added.
The Ethiopian envoy Mahmud Dirir, for his part, told reporters that "what is left is the proclamation, which establishes the transitional period, or the transition to a civilian government."
On Thursday, the TMC invited local and foreign media to attend a ceremony on signing, with initial letters, the agreement before the invitation was adjusted to be for a ceremony for handing the final document of the transitional period deal to the parties by the mediators.
However, the two parties, instead, entered into direct talks that continued until early hours of Friday.
According to leakages, differences emerged between the two parties regarding the interpretations of some terminologies in the document of the deal.
There were also differences over the investigation of the independent committee into the dispersing of the sit-in area in front of the army's general headquarters on June 3, where, according to the leakages, the TMC insists on adding representatives from the opposition alliance to an investigation committee which was formed a month ago, while the alliance demands formation of a new committee.
On July 5, the TMC and opposition Freedom and Change Alliance reached a deal on establishing transitional authorities to jointly govern the country.
The two sides agreed on a three-year sovereignty council by rotation and a civilian government of independent national competence.
They also agreed to delay the establishment of a legislative council until the sovereignty council and the civilian government are established.
