Sudanese, Eritrean presidents discuss Darfur and Chad
April 9, 2008 (ASMARA) — Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki held talks today evening at the State Palace in Asmara, where they discussed bilateral relations, the political process in Darfur and latest developments in Sudan-Chad relations.
Sudanese al Bashir Wednesday was in the Eritrean capital in a one day working visit. He was accompanied by Nafi Ali Nafi Presidential Assistant and in charge of Darfur talks, Mustafa Osman Ismail Presidential, Gen. Bakri Hassan Saleh, Minister at the Presidency, the General Salah Abdallah Gosh, the head of the security and the national intelligence service and Azubier Ahmed Al-Hassan, Minister of Energy and Mines.
Speaking to the press following the meeting, Al-Bashir said that his visit to Eritrea comes in the framework of continuous consultation between the two countries and the evolving relations between Khartoum and Asmara. He further added “Political relations between the two countries reached an excellent level and there is coordination and cooperation between the two sides in all fields.”
He explained that he discussed with the Eritrean President, the role that could be played by Eritrea to settle Darfur crisis, especially as “President Afwerki has concerns on this issue and will work to harness these concerns to achieving security and stability in Darfur.”
Asmara hosted in the past Darfur rebel groups and still has good contacts with some of these movements. It also participates in the UN-AU peace mediation for peace in Darfur within the frame of neighbouring countries intiative.
Bashir said that the talks also addressed to the Sudanese Chadian tension, pointing out that there is [Tripoli] agreement between the Sudan and Chad; Eritrea was one of the guarantors of this deal.
He indicated that he had talked with President Afwerki on the possibility of reviving the agreement and its implementation. He asserted that “without mending the Sudanese Chadian relations there will be a negative impact on the situation in Darfur.”
Chad and Sudan signed the first accord in Tripoli on February 8, 2008 banning the two countries from supporting each other’s rebels. But the agreement collapsed after the April 2006 offensive by the anti-Deby rebels against N’Djamena.
President Bashir affirmed that the relations between Sudan and Eritrea will see a positive development in all areas.
While, Presidential adviser, Mustafa Osman Ismail, announced an ambitious plan to implement development projects in the border areas between the two countries in order to promote reconstruction and to facilitate trade movement between the two sides.
He further said that the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement, signed in October 2007 and sponsored by Eritrea, led to the opening of a new page of relations Sudanese-Eritrean beside of the exchange of mutual benefit.
(ST)