Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he will take to encourage the Sudanese Transitional Military Council to reopen a dialogue with the protesters in Khartoum.

On 3 June, the Foreign Secretary condemned the attack on protestors by Sudanese security forces, and held the Transitional Military Council (TMC) fully responsible. We also expressed serious concern over TMC's announcement that it would cease negotiations and called for an agreed transfer of power to a civilian-led government. Our Embassy in Khartoum calls on members of the TMC both in public and directly the steps that needed to be taken to improve the situation in Sudan, including the release of all political detainees.

We look to the TMC now to take appropriate steps to provide confidence for protestors and create the conditions necessary for the resumption of dialogue, which includes investigation into the 3 June attack and Freedom of Media and the Internet being switched back on. We have said that the TMC must re-engage in the political process with the protestors and opposition to ensure an agreed transfer of power to a civilian-led authority, as demanded by the Sudanese people, in a swift, orderly and peaceful manner. The UK will continue to engage with all sides to support a settlement that works for all Sudanese people.