Ahmed Abul Gheit, Egyptian minister of foreign affairs, and Omar Suleiman, head of Egyptian intelligence services, met yesterday in Khartoum with Sudanese officials and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to discuss recent developments and relations between Egypt and Sudan. After the talks, during which Abul Gheit and Suleiman congratulated al-Bashir on his victory in Sudan's recent elections, the Egyptian delegation left to Juba, the capital of Southern Sudan, where they congratulated Salva Kiir Mayardit on winning the presidency of Southern Sudan, which is an autonomous entity. Afifi Abdel Wahab, the Egyptian ambassador in Sudan, said in a phone interview on Sawt el-Arab radio station that Egyptian-Sudanese relations are at their best, on political, economical, commercial and cultural levels. Egyptian investments in Sudan have reached about US$2.5 billion in different fields and trade between the two countries has reached US$500 million, said Abdel Wahab. Meanwhile Hatem al-Serr Ali, former candidate in the Sudanese presidential election and a spokesperson for the Democratic Unionist Party, was quoted on Afrikya el-Youm website as saying: "We rely a lot on the results of this visit, especially as Sudan is entering a sensitive phase and is about to hold a referendum which will decide the future of Southern Sudan." A referendum on Southern Sudan's independence is scheduled for January 2011. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
