Mubarak and Al Bashir agreed on expanding Egyptian-Sudanese cooperation
Egypt-Sudan, Politics, 5/17/2002

At the Egyptian Sudanese summit held at wednesday at the Presidential Palace in Heliopolis, President Mubarak and Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir agreed on a number of steps for reactivating bilateral cooperation especially in the fields of investment, trade, agriculture, meat and water resources.

The two leaders underlined the need for sustaining joint consultation and coordination regarding all issues of common interest to the two states and peoples.

The two leaders reviewed the current developments in the occupied Palestinian territories and Arab position where they underlined the importance of the common Arab vision and of taking steps reactivating the resolutions of the latest tripartite summit held in Sharm El Sheikh.

The two leaders underlined the importance of working and coordination for securing withdrawal of the Israeli troops and supporting the Palestinian people and their legitimate authority.

Minister of Information Safwat Al Sherif said after the meeting that President Mubarak stressed the "brotherly and eternal relations" between the two countries and the constant principles on which relations between the north and south of the Valley are based and the joint challenges they face.

"It was important to continue consultations and contacts at the level of the summit and also at the level of senior officials and the exchange of visits," he said.

On his part, President Bashir stressed "the strong relations between the sons of the North and South who are one people and the importance of cooperation, coordination and integration between Egypt and Sudan."

"It was important to exchange views to realise coordination between the two countries at the political and economic levels and cooperation in all fields in view of the fact that the two countries have joint higher interests," he said.

Al Bashir said it was important to have executive programmes to carry out agreements signed between the two countries.

He stressed Egypt's pivotal role in preserving the higher interests of the Arab nation and Egypt's adherence to bringing about overall and just peace and serve the higher interests of the Arab nation.

Minister of Information Safwat A1 Sherif said the two sides reviewed the situation as regards the Middle East issue and conditions in occupied Palestinian territories. They also made a general review of Arab conditions.

The two leaders stressed that it was important to have a common Arab vision and asked that steps be taken to carry out the decisions of the tripartite meeting recently held between President Mubarak, Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and Saudi Crown Prince Emir Abdullah at the Red Sea resort of Sharm E1 Sheikh 'which was a reflection of the Beirut (March 27-28) Arab summit meeting.

The Minister of Information said that President Mubarak stressed that it was important to move and coordinate to realise a full Israeli withdrawal (from occupied Palestinian territories) and conditions to what they had been before the Israeli attack on Palestinian towns.

President Mubarak and President Bashir reaffirmed their support to the Palestinian people and their legitimate authority.

Minister of Information Safwat Al Sherif said that as regards bilateral relations, it was agreed to maintain Sudan's territorial integrity.

Presidents Mubarak and Bashir said it was necessary to reactivate the joint working committee to combine between the Egyptian-Libyan initiative and the IGAD initiative considering that the goal is one.

The two sides exchanged views on economic cooperation and issued directives to the governments of the two countries asking` that the joint higher Egyptian-Sudanese committee meets to activate agreements in the fields of economic and technical cooperation and in all fields.

The two leaders asked the joint Egyptian-Sudanese committee, which will meet in mid-July, to open the file of joint projects during the stage of Egyptian-Sudanese integration and to evaluate and revive feasibility studies and plan practical and executive steps.

Minister of Information Safwat A1 Sherif said that talks between Presidents Mubarak and Bashir also dealt with the volume of trade between the two countries.

The committee will report to Presidents Mubarak and Bashir at their first meeting following the meeting of the committee.

They agreed to remove all obstacles in the way of the exchange of goods and to facilitate the movement of citizens between the two countries in order to increase the volume of trade exchange between them and to activate investments and cooperation among businessmen in the two countries.

As regards cooperation in the fields of agriculture, the Minister of Information said that agricultural cooperation between the two countries was discussed.

The two Presidents stressed the importance of joint agricultural projects in addition to the joint project between Egypt, Sudan and the Libyan Jamahirya on the Egyptian-Sudanese border.

These integrated projects, studies have been completed and executive steps have begun.

Egypt has begun to import meat from Sudan. The imported quantities will increase in future.

Minister of Information Safwat A1 Sherif said that the two sides discussed issues of cooperation in the fields of agriculture, water resources, security and the media.

The two presidents also discussed a number of African issues. They stressed that it was important to embark on joint action to realise quicker progress to effect Somali conciliation and ensure security in volatile areas in Africa, including security in the Congo in accordance with the Lusaka agreement.

Minister of Information said that the Egyptian-Sudanese summit was held in a brotherly atmosphere of understanding and identity of views and determination to realise more and wider progress on the basis of stronger and deeper relations on all axes between the two states.

Previous Stories:
  Maher meets with Swiss envoy to horn of Africa, Sudan   (5/16/2002)
  Mubarak, Bashir meet in Cairo   (5/16/2002)
  Relations atmosphere appropriate for new surge in Egyptian-Sudanese relations   (5/15/2002)

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