CAIRO - Prime Minister Essam Sharaf is currently on an important visit to Sudan, marking the start of settling some of the biggest challenges facing Egypt since the January 25 revolution. Having taken the oath a month ago, Sharaf has decided to look beyond the borders to settle some of the chronic problems threatening the country, especially Egypt's quota of river water, as Burundi has signed the Entebbe Nile Basin treaty and Ethiopia is planning to create a huge dam on the Blue Nile. This could cut Egypt's quota of water at this critical stage. Instead of heading to Ethiopia, which is being very stubborn, Sharaf has hinted that his trip to Sudan, now two countries, will help guarantee the continuation of development projects for the welfare of all three countries. His delegation includes the ministers of foreign affairs, international co-operation, water resources and electricity, in order to revive old co-operation accords and projects launched between them. Sharaf's move has special significance because it revives the important idea that Egypt's national security extends to its southern neighbours and is not just limited to its borders, as the former regime used to claim. Sharaf's visit has also given the Egyptian Prime Minister a new image as an active politician and statesman who takes the lead in confronting and seeking solutions to problems, in any part of the globe, without having to wait for instructions from the ruler. His visit to Sudan coincides with five Egyptian investors creating a company for animal breeding there on 2 million feddans (acres). The cattle reared on this huge farm would be slaughtered in Egyptian-run slaughterhouses in Sudan and the meat exported to Egypt. This giant project will benefit both countries, especially Egypt, that suffers from a serious shortage of red meat, forcing it to import frozen meat from different world markets.
