Egypt is actively joining Arab and African diplomatic attempts to spare Sudan international sanctions over the humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur. Dina Ezzat reports Next Sunday, at the Cairo headquarters of the Arab League, Arab foreign ministers will meet to discuss the ways and means of supporting the Sudanese government's efforts to contain the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, and face up to increasing Western pressure that could result in serious economic sanctions. The meeting, being convened upon Khartoum's request, will review the developments on the ground in Darfur, the progress of efforts undertaken by the Sudanese government to implement its agreement with the UN secretary general, and the potentials for political dialogue between the Khartoum regime and the armed rebels in Darfur. The meeting's ultimate objective is to make sure that the Sudanese government does not miss the 30 day deadline stipulated by the UN Security Council last Friday, and thus face 'punitive measures' if it fails to respond to the humanitarian tragedy in Darfur. "This is precisely why we think that this meeting supports our efforts to help the Sudanese government meet its commitments towards the UN," Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit said on Tuesday. The Arab League meeting, Abul-Gheit hopes, will help enable the Sudanese government to meet both its humanitarian and political commitments. "The humanitarian aspect in particular requires much support," he said. On Monday, Egypt sent five planes carrying relief materials to Sudan. According to the foreign minister, more such assistance in on the way. But the Egyptian role is far from confined to humanitarian assistance, for Cairo is also trying to assume a significant political role in resolving the crisis as well. During his first month in office, Abul-Gheit went on two foreign missions related to the situation in Darfur. He first went to Libya to convince Tripoli to remain neutral in relation to the conflict between the Khartoum regime and its opposition in Darfur. He also went to Sudan, earlier this week. Hours after Abul-Gheit's visit, the Sudanese government -- which had hastily rejected the UN Security Council resolution -- changed its position. Egypt is also closely coordinating with the African Union, which has itself adopted a resolution to conduct a mediation and peace observance mission in Darfur. Egypt is now working closely with the six- member committee set up by the African Union to administer the political and humanitarian mission in Sudan. Along with Nigeria (the current chair of the African Union), South Africa, Sudan, Chad, Senegal and Congo, Egypt is trying to pave the way for a process of political dialogue that could deal with the roots of the political dispute between the Sudanese government and its militant opposition, over the distribution of resources and wealth. "We believe that this situation should and could have a political settlement, and we want to help start the negotiation process," one Egyptian source said. He added that the Egyptian efforts on this front are proposed within the framework of the African Union mandate. "We are working with the African Union," Abul- Gheit repeatedly affirmed. Abul-Gheit is planning to meet with Alpha Oumar Konare, Secretary General of the African Union, who will be in Cairo next week for Sunday's Arab foreign ministers' meeting. Egypt's list of future contacts also includes the militant militias in Darfur. Throughout this week, Egypt opted to dispel any doubts the militias have about Cairo's potential bias towards the government in Khartoum, by confirming that while it sympathises with the Sudanese government regarding the difficulty of the task at hand, it also recognises the tragedy that exists in Darfur, and appreciates the international concern over the heavy price of ignoring the crisis. In this respect, Abul-Gheit even visited the refugee camps on Sudan's borders with Chad to express unconditional sympathy. "We are not taking sides. When US Secretary of State Colin Powell was here last week, we did tell him that the Sudanese government is not a tyrannical regime that is particularly targeting a certain group of people, but that it is a government with limited resources and far too many problems," one Egyptian diplomat said. At the same time, he said, when Abul-Gheit went to Sudan, he clearly told the Sudanese government that the human tragedy in Darfur couldn't be ignored for long. Cairo University professor and Sudan expert Iglal Raafat said Egypt was doing a good job trying, "with one hand to slow down the Western attempt to take harsh measures against Sudan, and with the other hand to push this government to honour its commitments and act responsibly to address a desperate humanitarian situation." Egypt, Raafat said, should maintain this momentum, and lobby for more support. This, she said, should not be a difficult job in view of the commitment already demonstrated at the Arab level by the Arab League, and at the African level by the African Union. Cairo, Arab sources suggest, could serve as a proper venue for talks with the Sudanese government, especially if the African Union and the Arab League jointly administer this proposed process. According to Samir Hosni, Director of the Sudan- Africa Department at the Arab League, the details of the league's future role in relation to Darfur will be decided during the foreign ministers' meeting. "What we want to do on Sunday is draw a clear plan of action in relation to the political and humanitarian fronts." One clear objective Hosni hopes the meeting will deliver is a serious financial commitment to help the Sudanese government undertake its huge responsibilities, in relation to providing basic infrastructure and social and health services in Darfur. Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Egypt, Hosni said, have been fairly forthcoming with the assistance, "but much more is still needed." Another objective that Hosni is hoping to achieve next Sunday is to get all Arab countries to adopt a position that supports a balanced approach towards the crisis. Hosni believes that it is important for the international community, for the Sudanese government, and for the Sudanese opposition in Darfur to hear all Arab countries say that while they are going to provide every possible form of assistance to the Sudanese government, they also expect this government to exert every possible effort to address the humanitarian, and even political, concerns of the people in Darfur, in prelude to a political process of negotiations that should be mediated by both the Arab League and the African Union. Securing long-term cooperation from the Khartoum regime is a job the Arab League is closely coordinating with Cairo. This week Abul-Gheit and Moussa have been in regular contact on this matter. The Egyptian foreign ministry is showing interest in a report that was composed by a political and humanitarian mission that Moussa sent to Darfur last April. The report, which was critical of the Sudanese government's handling of the Darfur crisis, was given the cold shoulder by Khartoum. "The fact of the matter is that the government in Khartoum was not very keen to deal with the situation head-on from the beginning. This was clear in the way it dealt with the Arab League report," Raafat said. "Today, Egypt has to keep pressuring the Sudanese government to make sure that it will not attempt to do half a job, simply because the international community will not settle for half a job." In any case, she said, "it would also be unethical." According to Raafat, the Sudanese government's failure to make good on its promises to the international community regarding Darfur could also reopen the issue of possible foreign intervention in Sudan. That file has been closed, at least for now, thanks to the peace deal reached between the Sudanese government and its southern militant opposition. The potential for this unchecked foreign influence in its immediate backyard, she and many other observers stress, would result in immediate harm to Egypt's strategic interests. "For Egypt, Sudan is not a secondary issue. It is the number one issue, and it has to keep working on it." Abul-Gheit sounded aware of the need for Egypt to keep up the pressure. "We are going to help the Sudanese government through the coming 30 days, and then through the [next] 90 days, and then through the [following] 120 days, and so on," he said.
