A conference to discuss Nubian Egyptians' problems and demands was organized by a group of Nubians. Potential presidential candidates Hamdeen Sabbahi and Hisham al-Bastawisi participated in the conference to support the legal demands of Nubians. Sabbahi and Bastawisi said the presence of Nubians in Upper Egypt supports the country's national security. They also said Nubians are part of Egypt's ‘soft power' and will pave the way for restoring Egypt's role in Africa through their cultural and social rapprochement with the African peoples. Sabbahi demanded that Egyptians review the Nubian file in a new way. He called for removing misconceptions and focusing on the Nubian's demands not as factional demands. He also demanded that Nubians be allowed to return to their land from which they were removed and they are the owners of the land, not the foreign investors who want only to achieve profits. He said all Egyptians should be allowed to settle in the area, but that the priority should be for Nubians. Sabbahi also said the demands of Nubians and Bedouins in the Sinai and Arabs on the North Coast should be dealt with urgently. Judge Hisham al-Bastawisi called for a legal structure through which Egypt can support the demands of Nubians and support development and stability in the area. Abdel-Hakim Abdel-Nasser, the son of former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, said the plan adopted by his father was based on a number of stages aiming at developing infrastructure after building the High Dam, but that the strategies and plans were changed after his father's death. He demanded the Nubian activists review the files on the High Dam Authority to authenticate his statements. Nubian activist Hassan al-Kashef called for creating a presentation which would show how to build model villages which are friendly to the environment. He said many foreign expers are ready to participate in and contribute to the project of building a village which could be a model not only for Nubia but for the whole country. Nubian writer Hagag Adool said Nubians have prepared a memorandum of demands to send to Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf through Bastawisi. The main objective of the conference was to clarify the facts of the Nubian issue and to present their demands in front of the Egyptian public opinion and political elites
