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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.
It comes as the International Criminal Court is expected to announce soon if it is going to issue an arrest warrant for Mr Bashir for war crimes in Darfur. The two leaders are expected to discuss recent Sudanese efforts to reach a ceasefire with Darfur rebel groups.
Mr Mubarak has called for more time for Mr Bashir to negotiate with rebel groups in the western Sudan region. 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.
If, as expected, the International Criminal Court (ICC) does issue an arrest warrant for Mr Bashir then it will split the international community into two camps. Omar al-Bashir is an unwelcome figure in the West, but closer to home he still has crucial support.
Britain, France and the US will be on one side, with the African Union, the Arab League and China on the other. At an official reception ceremony, Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmad Nazif and the foreign and defence ministers were all there to greet him.
Egypt, in line with Arab thinking, believes the arrest warrant would scupper negotiations with the rebel groups, risking further instability on its doorstep. The two sides have close economic ties but they are also working closely to find solutions to the ongoing conflict in Darfur.
That is why Cairo is exerting efforts at both regional and international levels to support the Sudanese government while negotiations are ongoing. 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.
Two weeks ago, Mr Mubarak paid a visit to his French counterpart in Paris calling for more time. The Egyptians want the court to defer the arrest warrant for at least a year to give President Bashir more time.
The Egyptians want the court to defer the arrest warrant for at least a year to give the Sudanese president space to work. 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.
But the argument from the West is that it is the threat of indictment that has suddenly concentrated minds in Khartoum and pushed the Bashir 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.
The Sudanese president is guaranteed to hear words of support from Cairo, but he knows that when this arrest warrant comes - as seems increasingly likely - then his freedom to travel further than Cairo will be greatly curtailed.