Sudanese, Egyptian intellectuals warn against north- south separation

After the Arab summit has avoided to discuss the Sudanese issues and Sudan's portion of the recent Arab Tunisia's statement was just a short clause voicing solidarity with it; while news reports speak of an approaching an agreement with the John Garang movement, several Sudanese and Egyptian intellectuals called for convening an intellectual meeting in Cairo to discuss the future of conditions in Sudan.

A seminar held at the strategic studies center in al-Ahram, and the Sudanese studies center in Khartoum discussed the future of Sudan amid the developments of the peace process.

The participants in the seminar underlined the importance of reaching a peace agreement between the government and rebels of the people's army for the liberation of Sudan as a first step to solve the Sudanese crisis. However, they warned against the shortcomings of this bilateral agreement, which, according to them deals with one part of the problem and does not deal with other areas of conflict in the country.

Former secretary general of the Arab bar association Farouk Abu Issa and one leader of the opposition Sudanese national coalition stressed that the agreement which will be made is a halting for the war but not the beginning of peace.