IT was quite expected that the first visit of President Mohamed Morsi to Sudan should focus on boosting the economic integration of the two nations. At this critical time, with the two countries suffering following the division of Sudan and the revolution in Egypt, co-operation and even unity between the two countries could be the ideal solution, allowing them to best exploit their natural and human resources. Nevertheless, most Egyptians were concerned when a Sudanese official spoke about a promise made by President Morsi to his Sudanese counterpart to reconsider the demarcation of Egypt's southern border with Sudan. Although the President denied Egypt will yield the Halayeb Triangle to the Sudanese authorities, different parties have lashed out at the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), accusing them of underestimating the value of Egyptian land and blaming them for their readiness to give up parts of Egypt to their Islamic allies, in order to gain their support for the rule in this country. What provoked the public is that this statement should coincide with the MB issuing a map in which Halayeb and Shalateen are located in Sudan, while the former MB Guide, Mahdi Akef, has described the border issue as a problem created by colonial powers that once dominated the Arab world! Analysts are wondering about the veracity of this news and whether its purpose is to test the public's reaction, especially given the huge economic, agricultural and trade co-operation between the two neighbours. If this is true, it won't be the first time, as it was preceded by the news about selling Suez Canal and land in eastern Port Said, known as Sharq el-Tafri'a, to Qatar. Prior to that, it was even reported that the Palestinians would be allowed to expand Gaza at the expense of the Sinai Peninsula. Then there was the news about the issuing of the new bonds law that would allow foreign investors to purchase some state assets, enhancing public fears that the Brotherhood rule is alien to the national norms and the goals of the January 25 Revolution. Such news will also enhance the rift between the presidency and the army that keeps on stressing its responsibility for protecting the country's borders of the country and its opposition to any plan to give up a single inch of Egyptian territory to any country.
