Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit assigned the Egyptian envoy in Khartoum to ask for an explanation from the Sudanese Foreign Ministry over press remarks by a newly appointed foreign minister in which he criticised Egypt's role in Sudanese issue as 'weak'. "Abul Gheit asked Egypt's ambassador to approach the Sudanese Foreign Minister in regard to the remarks by Minister Ali Karti," Egypt's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said. He added that the Egyptian-Sudanese ties had some specific privacy due to the common interests and strategic ties between both nations. "Egypt stands by Sudan in all its issues. We are always keen on achieving unity, stability and reconciliation between its factions. We pursue no aim in doing these but to help an Arab country," Zaki said. Sudan's newly appointed Foreign Minister Karti levelled unexpected criticism at the Egyptian Government, describing its engagement e in Sudan's issues as "weak". "The Egyptian role in the issues of the country is weak" he said, adding that the Egyptian elite's knowledge of the situation and complexities in Sudan was shallow. "Sudan is the strategic backyard of Egypt" Karti said. Relations between Egypt and Sudan has been affected by cairo's hosting of the leader of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Khalil Ibrahim last month. Karti was sworn in along with his peers last week as part of the new government , which follows April's multi-party elections, which were the first since 1986.
