CAIRO: Sudan and Egypt are attempting to avert a diplomatic tiff after Sudan's new foreign minister criticized Egypt's lack of involvement in Sudan and the paucity of its knowledge about Sudanese affairs. Newly appointed Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Karti had allegedly stated that Egypt's role in Sudan was “weak” and that the Egyptian approach to Sudan was “shallow” and steeped in a lack of information. Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit had requested from the Sudanese ambassador to Egypt to clarify Karti's statements as soon as the comments were published. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki also released a statement to the press in which he stressed the solidity of Egyptian-Sudanese relations and the interest Egypt takes in matters within Sudan. He added that there was “constant coordination and consultation at the leadership level of both countries on various issues, stressing the awareness of both countries of the depth and strength of their relationship.” Zaki also said that relations between the two countries are extremely vital because of the number of shared strategic interests and shared destinies. Sudanese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Kamal Hassan told Al-Shorouk newspaper that Sudan had informed Egypt that Karti's comments were misconstrued. Hassan added that “there is no crisis now and [I ]think Cairo has understood the situation,” and that he is supporting the comments made by Zaki regarding the strength of relations between the two countries. Egypt and Sudan have long had deep-standing ties due to geographical proximity and sharing the Nile river water. And while Zaki said in his statement that Egypt had good relations with all factions in Sudan, Egypt is a fervent supporter of the government of President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir and constantly supports him in issues such as Darfur and South Sudan. Although there is an International Criminal Court warrant for Al-Bashir's arrest that calls for any country to bring him to justice regarding accusations of genocide in Darfur, the Sudanese president has been welcomed in Egypt which spoke out against the ICC warrant. Egypt and Sudan are also united in a stance opposed to a new water-sharing agreement regarding rights to the Nile river water that was recently signed by seven other countries along the Nile Basin. Under a 1929 treaty penned during the colonialist era, Egypt and Sudan were granted the right of use of 87 percent of the Nile waters, which is around 74 billion cubic meters, of which 55.5 billion goes to Egypt and 18.5 billion to Sudan. The other riparian countries have called for a more equitable treaty to be put in place, and signed the new agreement when decade long talks with Egypt and Sudan failed. Both Egypt and Sudan refuse to recognize the new treaty, claiming it null and void since they haven't signed it.
