US officials said Friday they were working to resolve a dispute over Sudan's upcoming presidential elections that led opposition parties to pull their candidates out of the race, dpa reported.
State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said the US was still hoping the presidential poll could move ahead as scheduled on April 11. US envoy Scott Gration was in the region to help find a solution.
Nearly all Sudanese opposition parties on Thursday withdrew their candidates from the election, one day after southern Sudan's main party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), withdrew its candidate, Yasir Arman.
The opposition voiced concerns about security and possible voter fraud and some international bodies have called for delaying the election, which would be Sudan's first multiparty vote since 1986.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir this week threatened to cancel a referendum on independence for the south should opposition parties boycott the April elections.
"We're working hard to try to ... help the parties resolve these issues," Crowley told reporters in Washington. "I think we're still aiming for the election to occur on April 11th."
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