Sudan and Egypt want better relations, foreign ministers to meet

The Sudanese ambassador to Cairo, Ahmed Abdul Halim, said Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa is going to meet with his Sudanese counterpart, Mustafa Othman Ismael, during the coming week, confirming that there is a desire that relations between the two states would return to normal.

This was said after the meeting of the Sudanese ambassador yesterday with Moussa's advisor for Sudanese affairs, Fouad Yousef.

Abdul Halim returned to Cairo after holding consultations in Khartoum with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, his first vice-president Ali Othman Muhammed Taha and the head of parliament, Hassan El-Torabi.

He said the Sudanese officials expressed their desire to develop the spirit of brotherhood and cooperation between the two states after spending a week in Khartoum where he was summoned for consultations.

Recent events have included the convening of the Sudanese opposition conference in Egypt and the US raid on Khartoum, in which El-Shifaa pharmaceutical factory was destroyed, but Abdul Halim confirmed that Sudan appreciates the Egyptian role in supporting Sudan's position toward the US attack.

The consultative council of the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, held a meeting last Monday in which they examined Sudanese - Egyptian relations, and Abdul Halim spoke about Sudanese - Egyptian relations and their future.