CAIRO, Jan 3 (MENA) - Chairman of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs (ECFA) Mohamed el-Orabi said the Sudanese people have a great confidence in Egypt’s sincere and tireless efforts to bring fighting to a halt, put an end to the bloodshed and help their country get out of its current crisis through a comprehensive political solution.

In exclusive statements to MENA Friday following a meeting with Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Youssef al-Sharif, the former top Egyptian diplomat said Egypt stands by Sudan, spares no effort to stop the war there and works assiduously to restore security to the country and achieve the aspirations of its people.

Egypt is keen on coordinating and cooperating with regional and international partners to resolve the Sudanese crisis and has engaged in regional and international efforts aimed at achieving stability in Sudan, in a way that preserves Sudanese interests, sovereignty and territorial integrity, he noted.

Egypt received and is still receiving representatives of all Sudanese forces to help bring viewpoints closer, heal rifts, overcome differences and raise the interest of Sudan and the Sudanese people above anything else, Orabi said.

The Sudanese people highly appreciate Egypt's efforts to end the Sudanese crisis, especially in light of the deep-rooted historical Egyptian-Sudanese relations, he added.

Orabi noted that his meeting with the Sudanese foreign minister reviewed the Egyptian stand calling for an immediate ceasefire and welcomed the decisions of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council regarding accelerating the flow of humanitarian aid by enabling UN workers to carry out their mission, as well as setting up centers to store humanitarian relief supplies.

The meeting touched upon Egypt's keenness on maintaining efforts aimed at helping Sudan to resume its membership in the African Union at the nearest possible time and supporting all drives in this regard - on the regional and international levels. Also, the two sides discussed conditions of the Sudanese community in Egypt and efforts to prepare a number of schools to allow Sudanese students to complete their exams in Egypt.

Meantime, Orabi pointed out that the meeting reflected the two countries' interest in supporting Somalia’s efforts to achieve security and combat terrorism.

He said that the two countries see eye to eye regarding the water security file and the importance of ensuring the commitment by Nile Basin countries to international law.
(MENA)

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