Juba--Former US President Jimmy Carter said on Tuesday that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had asked him on more than one occasion about the expected impact on Egypt of the anticipated secession of southern Sudan, currently being decided by referendum. “I assured President Mubarak that secession would in no way affect Egypt's national security,” Carter said. On southern Sudan's use of Nile water, the former US president said this issue would not be raised "for at least another few years." He also asserted that the lack of violence in southern Sudan during the referendum that is currently being held there--which will decide the fate of the south--demonstrated that the southern Sudanese were keen to make the referendum a success. He added that Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir had promised him that that the borders between north and south would remain open regardless of the referendum's results. Carter went on to note that the international community planned to help the new state resolve the problem of Sudan's outstanding debts. “North and south will have to agree on a mechanism regarding this issue,” he said. The referendum in southern Sudan is being monitored by the Carter Center's Sudan Election Observation Mission, which has appointed 16 observers from 12 countries for the task. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
