Egypt's Nile water quota will not be affected if secession of the Sudanese south takes place, Bilal Qassamallah, general consul for Sudan in Aswan, said. Meeting with a youth delegation from Aswan, Qassamallah said that Israeli hands are working to destabilize the Nile Basin countries. He added, however, that Sudan is not wary of greater Egyptian influence in the south and that, if anything, it in fact supports it. Qassamallah said he expects a stable situation Sudan if separation takes place, ruling out the possibility of violence. He also said that joint north-south committees have been formed to discuss issues that would arise in a transition period, adding that it would be hard to predict what orientation the newly formed state will adopt if secession is the outcome of the January referendum. He said a dual citizenship system has been suggested, if secession is chosen. While income from oil exports will be shared, a decision has yet to be made regarding gold, major discoveries having been made in the North. The consul said the South needs the North in order to export oil easily, adding that because there are 700,000 South Sudanese citizens living in the North, North-South cooperation will be inevitable. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
