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Al-Ahram Weekly 16 - 22 December 1999 Issue No. 460 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 16 - 22 December 1999 Issue No. 460
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Debate Focus Profile Living Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Bonds between brothers
Ever since Egypt accepted the Sudanese government's offer to turn over a new leaf and restore normal relations, one of the key problems has been the clear contradiction between Sudan's political discourse and what seem to be its real intentions. On one hand, certain elements in the Sudanese government clearly recognised the importance of ending Sudan's isolation and mending its deteriorating ties with its Arab and African neighbours. This camp became aware that 10 years of Khartoum's fundamentalist policies and alleged interference in the affairs of its African neighbours with the aim of building an Islamic empire have brought upon it only UN sanctions and animosity.On the other hand, influential figures in the same government continued to advocate the very policies that have so damaged Sudan's reputation. These elements were also responsible for the unprecedented deterioration in relations between Egypt and Sudan. Not content with seeking to destroy the ties that have bound the two countries for centuries, they also provided refuge to scores of suspected terrorists who were responsible for instability in several Arab countries.
For all these reasons, Egypt quickly showed support for President Omar Al-Bashir's move to end the double-talk. Sudanese Parliament Speaker Hassan Al-Turabi, the main figure behind Sudan's fundamentalist project, was also the man responsible for delaying attempts to improve relations with Egypt. It was Al-Turabi, too, who hosted and chaired "international Islamic conferences" in Khartoum, inviting representatives of the same groups responsible for killing many innocent civilians in several Arab countries.
President Al-Bashir, however, has vowed to continue the reconciliation process with exiled Sudanese opposition groups. Al-Turabi's National Islamic Front represents only a fraction of the Sudanese people; other parties with a long and honourable history, such as the Democratic Unionist Party and the Umma Party, maintain wide popularity.
Restoring democracy and holding new elections, as President Al-Bashir has promised he will do, are clearly the path to stability and peace in south Sudan. And whatever the circumstances, Egypt will always be willing to support any move that will benefit the Sudanese people -- the real victims of the devastating civil war -- and preserve the country's unity and territorial integrity.
