Egypt and Sudan seek to strengthen their ties after years of tension

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) – Egyptian and Sudanese leaders agreed to mend the failure of a agreement on a dam upstream of the Nile built by Ethiopia and resumption of a long-standing dispute over a border held by Cairo and claimed by Khartoum.

During a two-day visit to Sudan, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi met with President Omar al-Bashir as well as other Sudanese officials. They promised to put aside differences and strengthen relations, in what appears to be Egypt's latest attempt to thaw the icy relations with its southern neighbor. El-Sissi was accompanied by his wife, which is unusual, especially during an official visit by the Egyptian president. Entisar Amer was seen in several photos beaming with the wife of Al-Bashir, Widad Babiker, at Khartoum's presidential palace.

The visit ended Friday.

"From all my visits abroad to neighboring and friendly countries, my visit to Sudan has a special status and a high priority," said Mr. el-Sissi at a conference of press Thursday. He also said that the recent talks between the two sides had overcome several difficulties. Similarly, al-Bashir said the two countries had "lost several years" in disagreements over various issues but that they had now planned to "remove all obstacles" hindering cooperation.

In recent years, Egypt has a dam project to complete in Ethiopia. Egypt fears that the dam will reduce its share of the Nile that serves as a lifeline to the 100 million inhabitants of the country. Previous attempts to resolve the lasting conflict have failed. Egypt was even more upset by Sudan supporting Ethiopia in the conflict, perhaps hoping to get cheap electricity from the new hydroelectric project [19659003DuringtheconferenceAl-BashircomparedEgyptian-Sudaneserelationsto"ahumanbody"togethertheyshare75%ofthewatersoftheNileNootherchiefmentionedtheEthiopiandam

Another point of disagreement is the renewed claim of Khartoum on the border territory held by Egypt known as the Halayeb Triangle, a conflict that dates back to the British colonial era. The war between Turkey and Qatar, considered a regional threat by Egypt, has probably caused new tensions. "There is still a long way to go to move the relationship to the desired level," said El-Sissi. He also urged the media, which he said favored division, to become a platform to "improve relations".

During the visit, the two leaders agreed to form a binational committee to deepen cooperation. El-Sissi also announced his intention to visit Sudan again in October