It appears as though Egypt has decided to put its considerable historical weight behind preserving the unity of Sudan, bringing peace to its north and south and participating in its construction and development. Sudan is a country of great importance to Egypt.
These positive signs came out of the visit of the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to Khartoum a few days ago, which was preceded by a meeting in Egypt between Mubarak and Dr. John Garang, the leader of the South Sudan liberation movement.
The Egyptian-Sudanese relationship is a special one. Winston Churchill once said: “Sudan is linked to Egypt in the same manner that a diver is linked to his oxygen tank. Without it there is no life.”
The current international situation requires swift and cooperative action. This was made clear to the political leaderships of Sudan and Egypt especially after the recent period in which Sudan’s security and safety was severely affected as a result of varied external aggression and internal separatist movements.
In an interview Mubarak said: “Sudan is the natural extension of Egypt. Therefore Egypt is careful to safeguard the unity of the Sudanese soil ... I can say that my talks with the US regarding Sudan reinforced the importance of a united Sudan ... and of ensuring peace on its lands ... Egypt will provide unlimited support to north and south Sudan.”
In this climate of affinity between Egypt and Sudan, the two countries announced the need to activate the integration agreement and more especially to increase the volume of trade between the two countries.
Positive feedback is expected from the meeting to be held between the two leaders in Cairo on May 30. The meeting aims to put the final touches to the cooperation program and prepare it for implementation.
Though this seems to be the official political vision of the two countries, it requires broad popular movement to realize effective integration on the national level.
For the integration of nations to take place two important matters have to be dealt with. The first, orders must be issued that open the doors for national movement between the two countries. The second, government organizations must keep their bureaucratic hands off routine matters that often hinder cooperation between the two countries.
Economic regulations that permit commercial interchange are the primary method for creating cohesion between nations.
National organizations need to schedule programs for popular gatherings in cultural, scientific, artistic and athletic areas to strengthen the ties between the two peoples.
In this regard, Professor Izzedin Mahmoud, a Sudanese political author writing in Al-Ahram stressed the need to reissue the magazine Wadi Al-Nile (The Nile Valley). He considers that the lack of media common to the two countries accounts for the failure of many common projects. He also demands the establishment of a new satellite television station with the same name.
Sudan is passing through an extremely perturbing time, and the presence of Egypt now is a positive indicator that the Sudanese crisis will be averted. All the signs are that Sudanese nationalist forces look forward to Egypt’s participation in the Sudanese issue. That participation will be completely neutral for the sake of a united Sudan.
If some in Sudan are of the opinion that Egypt is rather late in taking this step, the reality that we must not overlook is that Egypt has been subjected to pressures and political maneuverings in order to marginalize it and take it out of the sphere of the Sudanese issue. Historical reality, however, has finally asserted itself.
Arab News Opinion 12 May 2003
