Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit and Minister Omar Suleiman paid a two-hour visit to Khartoum yesterday. They held talks with President Omar al-Bashir and several officials of the Sudanese national unity government on several issues, especially the stance on the ICC's arrest warrant against President al-Bashir. This warrant is expected to be issued over the next few days. Aboul Gheit and Suleiman also handed to the Sudanese president a handwritten letter by President Hosni Mubarak. In this letter, Mubarak says that Egypt sides with Sudan and that its support for Khartoum in all regional and international issues has never been shaken. This was also said by Aboul Gheit to the press at Khartoum airport. He also affirmed that Egypt backs Sudan and President al-Bashir, adding that he and Suleiman had arrived in Sudan to have consultations with the Sudanese president and senior officials on the bilateral relations and the latest developments in Sudan and the Arab World. Al-Masry Al-Youm has learnt that the Egyptian letter to President al-Bashir includes specific proposals concerning the current crisis between Sudan and the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the way to solve it. In his letter, Mubarak also urges all those who refuse peace in Darfur to sit at the negotiating table and deal with the crisis politically. This position is in line with what has previously been announced by Egypt, which has warned of new possible threats against Sudan and, consequently, against the peace agreement in the South and the ongoing negotiations with some factions in Darfur. Following his meeting with the Sudanese president, Aboul Gheit pointed out that Egypt cares about Sudan's security and has put forward some propositions concerning the crisis with the ICC. During the meeting, Aboul Gheit also reviewed what he had said to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton concerning Sudan's sensitive security and political conditions and the risks that the ICC warrant might represent for these conditions. He also said that this topic had been a key issue in President Mubarak's talks during his latest visit to France and Italy. Aboul Gheit added that the talks also included Egypt's role in the Arab Summit due to be held in Doha next March, as well as Cairo's eagerness to achieve Palestinian unity. For his part, Ambassador Othman Nafie, political director of the Sudanese presidency, said after the meeting that Aboul Gheit had conveyed Egypt's firm support to its Sudanese neighbor, adding that President al-Bashir appreciates Cairo's role. According to him, the Egyptian delegation affirmed that Egypt supports any efforts aimed to achieve a peaceful political settlement of the Darfur problem. Meanwhile, the press advisor of the Sudanese president told the press that Khartoum would not hand over any officials, even if they were Sudan's strongest opponents. Al-Masry Al-Youm has learnt that Egypt's proposals have not been accepted by Sudan.
