KHARTOUM: Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir on Monday appealed for a political and economic renaissance in his country ravaged by war, poverty and political turmoil.

It was the latest call Bashir has made in the past year for a broad political dialogue, including with the country's armed insurgents.

But this time, he made his appeal directly to opposition figures -- including breakaway members of his own party -- who joined the audience of government-linked parties, cabinet members and foreign diplomats for his speech at a conference hall along the Blue Nile.

"We in the National Congress Party are calling for all Sudanese to participate in this renaissance," he said in the speech designed to address urgent calls for reform in his 25-year-old regime, but which fell short of critics' expectations.

The Islamist Hassan al-Turabi, a leading figure behind the 1989 coup that brought Bashir to power, was among those present, marking the first time in 14 years that he has attended an NCP event.

He broke away in 2000 and formed the opposition Popular Congress.

"The speech did not meet our expectations," Turabi told reporters after.

"I didn't hear anything about freedom of political activities, nor did I hear anything about media freedom."

Turabi sat beside a more recent NCP dissident, Ghazi Salahuddin Atabani, a former Bashir adviser who in December launched a new "Reform" party.

Next to the two dissidents was opposition Umma Party leader Sadiq al-Mahdi, who was overthrown as prime minister by Bashir's bloodless coup.

Analysts say Umma has been most closely courted by the government, but Mahdi declined comment on Bashir's speech, saying he would study it first.

Bashir did not reveal detailed initiatives but said the renaissance must address four areas: peace, political freedom, poverty reduction and "Sudanese identity".

"Peace is the top priority," said the leader who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in the 11-year-old conflict in Sudan's Darfur region.