Sudanese, Egyptian Presidents to Discuss Peace PlanSudanese President Omar el-Bashir arrived in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh on Sunday for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.The two leaders will discuss an Egyptian-Libyan peace initiative designed to end the 18-year civil war in Sudan and ways of enhancing bilateral ties. The summit had originally been planned in Cairo, but a sandstorm in the Egyptian capital blocked the landing of Bashir's flight and led to the venue change. The two leaders will review the progress of the Egyptian-Libyan initiative aimed at achieving national reconciliation in Sudan and explore ways of expanding bilateral trade and economic cooperation, Egypt's Middle East News Agency reported. The visit will shore up relations between the two countries, especially in the economic field, and activate the Egyptian-Libyan initiative, the news agency quoted observers as saying. Abdel Baset Sedrat, Sudanese presidential advisor on political affairs, told the Cairo-based Voice of Arabs radio on Sunday that Bashir's visit will open up wider scopes for cooperation between the two countries. "The political leadership in both countries have already agreed to upgrade the level of the Egyptian-Sudanese ministerial committee so as to be chaired by the prime ministers as a step towards further enhancement of bilateral relations," he said. Sudanese government forces have been fighting with southern rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), which has been struggling for greater autonomy for the predominantly Christian and animist south since 1983. SPLA has also formed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with northern opposition political parties. Egypt and Libya have been making efforts to reconcile all opposition and rebel groups in Sudan. In August 1999, the two countries put forward the initiative calling for holding a peace conference on national reconciliation in Sudan. |
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