Halayeb dispute can’t be resolved by “imposing a fait accompli”: Sudan’s FM
January 10, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s foreign minister Ibrahim Ghandour Sunday has handed over a message from president Omer al-Bashir to the Egyptian president Abdel-Fatah al-Sissi pertaining to bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to develop it.
He added the Sudanese top diplomat underscored the deep ties between the two peoples, emphasizing the need for joint coordination at both Arab and African levels.
Youssef added that Ghandour also expressed his country’s support for Egypt within the framework of the historic and close ties between the two peoples.
According to Youssef, al-Sissi asked Ghandour to convey his greetings to Bashir and the Sudanese people, pointing to Egypt’s appreciation for the strong historic ties between the two countries.
It is noteworthy that Ghandour had arrived in Cairo Friday night, leading a high-level delegation on a two-day official visit, at the invitation of the Egyptian Foreign Minister.
MEETING POLITICAL FIGURES
Meanwhile, Ghandour has met with several Egyptian politicians including the former secretary general of the Arab League Amr Musa, former Prime Minister Isam Sharaf, former presidential advisor Mustafa al-Fiqi and the leader of the al-Wafd party al-Sayed al-Badawi besides several academics and journalists.
Ghandour said during the meeting that the dispute over Halayeb area can’t be resolved by “imposing a fait accompli” but through dialogue or by referring the case to the concerned international institutions.
“The promotion of the Egyptian Sudanese relations must not be subjected to the [situation] in Halayeb area,” he said.
The Halayeb triangle overlooks the Red Sea and has been a contentious issue between Egypt and Sudan since 1958, shortly after Sudan gained independence from British-Egyptian rule.
The area has been under Cairo’s full military control since the mid-1990’s following a Sudanese backed attempt on former Egyptian president Mohamed Hosni Mubarak’s life. Egypt brushed aside Sudan’s repeated calls for referring the dispute to international arbitration.
Ghandour denied presence of any elements from the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in his country, pointing that Sudan was accused in the past of hosting Islamic extremist figures from Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt but the accusations were proven to be incorrect.
“Those [accusations] sought to offend the Sudan while we want our relations with Egypt to go in the right direction,” he said.
The Sudanese top diplomat further pointed to the strong security and military cooperation between Egypt and Sudan.
Ghandour also criticized the low level of trade exchange between the two countries which at $250 million, saying it isn’t commensurate with the strong ties and the potential for bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
He expressed hope that the security situation in the two countries allows for the easy flow of people and goods in order to double the volume of trade exchange.
POLITICAL CONSULTATION COMMITTEE
Also, the Sudanese/Egyptian joint political consultation committee Sunday has discussed bilateral relations and ways for promoting it.
The Sudanese side was headed by Ghandour while the Egyptian side was chaired by the minister of foreign affairs Samih Shokri.
Following the meeting, the two ministers held a press conference in which they briefed reporters on the progress of bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues.
(ST)