Morsi releases Sudanese prospectors

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi Khartoum – Abedalgoum Ashmeag On Sunday afternoon, the Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi demanded the release of Sudanese nationals who crossed the border in search for gold. (Reports indicate that their numbers ran into the hundreds.) This comes at the request of Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Karti, who is currently visiting Cairo, The spokesman of the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Al Abeed Ahmed Marawah, revealed in a statement to Arabstoday, that the Egyptian President requested to pay fines for some who were prosecuted but dropped the penalty for those who spent half their sentences in prison. Marawah praised the decision and said: "It comes within the framework of the keen leadership of the two countries to build a strong relationship between them in order to serve both of their interests.” According to an official radio, the Foreign Minister, Ali Karti, held a number of meetings that included the Secretary General of the Arab League Nabil El-Araby and ministers from the Agricultural and International Cooperation, in which they reviewed the overall developments on both the Arab and Sudanese sides. Egypt is scheduled to begin investments of the area of one million acres in the Northern State that boarders Egypt, and it will be visited by the Foreign Minister Fathi Khalil in his current visit to the country. The agricultural ministries of the two countries already established an experimental farm on an area of 10,000 acres. It was also agreed to promote cooperation between Egypt, Sudan and Libya in the framework of the so-called, "Golden Triangle," especially since the last period saw the establishment of the nucleus of cooperation between the three countries in the fields of agriculture, investment, trade and security. The Sudanese side was assured that Cairo will support the efforts of converging views between Sudan and South Sudan, and activate the Egyptian efforts to resolve any differences between Juba and Khartoum. The minister said: "We have had a clear desire from President Mohamed Morsi, Prime Minister Hesham Kandil, and Foreign Minister Mohammed Amr to make progress on the four freedoms file between the two countries which include the liberty of ownership, residence, economic activity and mobility.” Karti said  he was "looking forward to the completion of this vital file before the visit of PM Kandil to Khartoum next September”. On Sunday evening, the Sudanese minister is expected to give a lecture at the Diplomatic Institute in Cairo on the situation in Sudan. Marawah said: "The visit by Karti to Cairo comes at an important time for the two countries and that the agreements which will be reached are going to be implemented immediately; something which was not previously present in the relations between the two countries". He pointed out that on Sunday, Karti will meet again with businessmen and Egyptian investors to explain the investment opportunities and fields of investment in Sudan.