KHARTOUM, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Transitional Military Council said on Saturday that its role is to prepare the atmosphere for the political forces to assume power in a peaceful and democratic way.

The council made the remark in a statement issued after a meeting between Omer Zainal-Abdin, chairman of the political committee of the military council, and Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the African Union Commission, in the capital Khartoum.

The meeting reviewed the African Union's role in supporting Sudan in passing the important phase in its political history, said the statement.

For his part, Faki said Sudan is considered a pivotal country in Africa, pointing out that the African Union understands the popular revolution in Sudan and the main role played by the armed forces.

Consensus among the Sudanese political parties on an agreed transitional period is essential, he added.

Sudan's transitional military council, chaired by Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, is tasked with running the country following the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir.