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Sudan leader in Cairo for talks | Sudan leader in Cairo for talks |
(20 minutes later) | |
Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has arrived in Cairo for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. | Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has arrived in Cairo for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. |
The two leaders are expected to discuss recent Sudanese efforts to reach a ceasefire with Darfur rebel groups. | |
Their talks come as the International Criminal Court is expected to announce soon if it will issue an arrest warrant for Mr Bashir for war crimes in Darfur. | |
Up to 300,000 people are thought to have died there in a six-year conflict between the government and rebels. | Up to 300,000 people are thought to have died there in a six-year conflict between the government and rebels. |
Omar al-Bashir is an unwelcome figure in the West, but closer to home he still has crucial support. | |
At an official reception ceremony, Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmad Nazif and the foreign and defence ministers were all there to greet him. | |
The two sides have close economic ties but they are also working closely to find solutions to the ongoing conflict in Darfur. | |
Egypt, in line with Arab thinking, believes that if an arrest warrant for President Bashir is issued at The Hague it could scupper their efforts to help the Sudanese government and could also lead to further instability on their doorstep. | |
The Egyptians want the court to defer the arrest warrant for at least a year to give President Bashir more time. | |
But critics of the Sudanese government say it is the threat of indictment that has concentrated minds in Khartoum and pushed the government towards ceasefire declarations. | |
The Sudanese president has come to listen to advice but no doubt he will also be urging Mr Mubarak to exert his influence on Western leaders who are calling for that arrest warrant to be issued now. | |