Sudan, Eritrea sign agreement to restore relations
Sudan-Eritrea, Politics, 5/3/1999

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and President Assyas Afworki of Eritrea on Sunday signed an agreement to settle the crisis between the two countries which was signed in the presence of Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khaleifa al-Thani in Doha, and called for purifying the atmospheres and settling the disputes between the two countries in the context of the mediation carried out by Qatar according to the memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries in Doha on November 10 1998.

A statement by the Eritrean government to ArabicNews.com said the agreement provides for:

1. Restoring diplomatic relations between the two countries.

2. Respecting international laws and customs regulating peaceful coexistence and good neighborly relations among countries and peoples.

3. Respecting the political choices of both countries and peoples, and refraining from adopting a policy of exporting ideologies and seeking to impose them.

4. Refraining from hosting or organizing regional or international conferences that aim to adopt policies or coordinate tasks posing a threat to the security and stability of neighboring countries.

5. Working to resolve the remaining differences between the two countries through peaceful means.

6. Establishing joint committees between the two countries to examine the remaining issues, especially those related to security, and implement what has been agreed upon in this agreement.

On Saturday the Eritrean president said the significance of Qatar's initiative stems from the importance of finding a stable and secure atmosphere in the relations between Sudan and Eritrea as well as all countries of the African Horn region to benefit from available potentials and resources, not only to put an end to the conflict arising between the two countries.

Earlier, the Sudanese president arrived in Qatar to meet with his Eritrean counterpart, who, for his part, held talks on the same topic with the ruler of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khaleifa al-Thani.

In this respect, an official from the ruling party in Sudan, Abdullah Suleiman, has expressed optimism that Doha talks will be able to "break the ice in the relations between the two countries." He repeated the list of necessary conditions to improve relations with Asmara.

Suleiman said that Khartoum seeks that Asmara will end its support for the Sudanese opposition and hand over the headquarters of the Sudanese embassy in Asmara, which is being controlled by the Sudanese opposition.

In November 1998, the foreign ministers of Sudan and Eritrea signed a memorandum of understanding to end their disputes by peaceful means. But two months after the signature, Sudan accused Eritrea of bombarding several border villages.

Also at the beginning of this year, Sudan accused Eritrea of building up its forces in preparation to launch an attack on Sudan. The two countries severed diplomatic relations in 1994.

The Eritrean statement to ArabicNews.com said that "President Afworki said the mediation efforts achieved remarkable progress and that circumstances are proper to normalize relations."

Previous Stories:
  Afworki: an understanding with Sudan to settle disputes   (4/20/1999)
  Sudanese government denies rebel claims   (4/7/1999)
  Sudan expresses readiness to maintain dialogue with Eritrea   (1/25/1999)

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