Egypt is continuing to try to calm down the situation in Sudan and help the two ruling parties resolve the issues obstructing the smooth holding of a self-determination referendum in southern Sudan, reports Doaa El-Bey A delegation from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry will participate in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) summit on Sudan, to be held tomorrow in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. The meeting will focus on resolving Sudanese problems. Mohamed Mursi, head of Sudan's department in the Foreign Ministry, and who will head the Egyptian delegation to Nairobi, said the decision was in line with Egypt's continuous consultations with the two Sudanese ruling parties and the international community to help Sudan confront the challenges in the coming months. Egypt's participation in the summit follows a one-day visit by Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit and General Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman to both Khartoum and Juba last week. The two senior officials, who conveyed messages from President Hosni Mubarak to the northern and southern presidents, met Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir and Second Vice-President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha in the north. They also visited Juba, regional capital of south Sudan, and held talks with Salva Kiir, Sudanese first vice-president who doubles as president of the government of south Sudan. During meetings with officials of the two sides, Abul-Gheit urged all parties to the conflict in Sudan to exercise self-restraint, solve pending issues, and promote conditions conducive to a peaceful referendum that reflects the real aspirations and serves the interests of the people. Abul-Gheit emphasised that both the people of Egypt and its leadership are particularly interested in developments in Sudan, "especially in this important phase in modern Sudanese history," during the countdown to the referendum on self-determination in the south. Abul-Gheit added that continued communication between the factions aims at reaching an acceptable formula for implementing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which will help to maintain peace and stability in Sudan no matter the results of the referendum. Abul-Gheit and Suleiman stressed the importance of holding intensive meetings at a high level between the partners to consider potential solutions, taking into account the time element, and the redoubling of efforts which is required of all parties. Mursi also paid an earlier visit to Khartoum for the same purpose. A diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity hailed Egypt's efforts to bridge the differences between the ruling parties in north and south Sudan. "However, there are issues that should be clarified to ensure a peaceful referendum like the procedures ahead of the referendum and what comes after it," he told Al-Ahram Weekly. The referendum on self-determination for southern Sudan is to be held next January. The vote will decide whether the south will split from the north and become an independent state. The referendum was promised by the CPA which was signed in 2005, ending decades of the north-south civil war. In addition to the broader referendum on the south's independence, another thorny issue was supposed to be resolved via the referendum. People are to vote on whether the small region called Abyei, located in the oil-rich border between south and north Sudan, should belong to southern Sudan or northern Sudan. But senior officials of the Khartoum-based National Congress Party (NCP) decided it was not possible to hold the referendum on the future of Abyei on time and have suggested it be delayed indefinitely. "Postponing the Abyei issue is likely to lessen the differences between the ruling parties ahead of the referendum. That issue can be resolved later via negotiations or international arbitration," the diplomat added. Under the CPA, the south formed its own government, which has limited autonomy and in which the north has a small representation. South Sudan is represented in the government of national unity led by the Khartoum-based NCP.
