Egyptian, Sudanese presidents discuss situation in Sudan

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met with visiting Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir on Saturday in the Egyptian Mediterranean port city of Alexandria to discuss the situation in Sudan and means to enhance bilateral ties, the official MENA news agency reported.

Talks between the two sides dealt with the latest developments in Sudan and the ongoing consultations over the formation of a transitional Sudanese government in accordance with the January peace agreement between Khartoum and the southern rebel Sudan People Liberation Movement. Discussions also covered the situation in the troubled western Sudanese region of Darfur and "the worrying conditions in eastern Sudan," according to the report.

Cooperation between the two countries figured high in the talks,it added.

The Sudanese president arrived in Alexandria earlier in the day on a few hours' visit to Egypt.

Egypt has long sought to help solve conflicts in its southern neighbor with which it enjoys traditionally strong relations.

It hosted several rounds of talks between the Sudanese government and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), an umbrella opposition group. The negotiations culminated in June when the two sides signed a comprehensive reconciliation deal in Cairo.

Egypt also attended two African mini-summits hosted by Libya to solve the conflict in Darfur where thousands of people have been killed and over a million displaced since a rebellion broke up in 2003.

A new round of peace talks between Khartoum and two main Darfur rebel groups began on Thursday in the Nigerian capital of Abuja.

Source:Xinhua