afrol News, 14 September - The Egyptian government has joined the few voices protesting Western powers' ever-increasing pressure against Sudan. While politically disagreeing with Khartoum's Islamist government, Cairo sees many of its principal security issues safeguarded by the current regime in Sudan, including the Nile Treaty that is contested by other African countries.

China leads the block of countries opposing the US draft resolution to the UN Security Council calling for sanctions against Sudan. Yesterday, China's Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing went to Cairo to secure a strategic ally in the US-European quest for Sudan sanctions.

Egypt, the main Western ally in the Arab world, already was in line with Beijing. Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit after the meeting with his Chinese counterpart told the press that the two countries had agreed "on the necessity of not reaching the point when Security Council sanctions are imposed on Khartoum."

Later on the day, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak carried on the torch when sensitising US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, William Joseph Burns, on the growing opposition to sanctions against Sudan. President Mubarak told Mr Burns that Egypt rejected terming the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region "genocide" and that sanctions would only hinder the Khartoum government's efforts to comply with UN demands.

According to President Mubarak's spokesman, Maged Abdel Fattah, the Egyptian government is doing its part to put an end to the immense human suffering in Darfur. Cairo, which has close ties to Khartoum, is exerting pressure on the Sudanese government to comply with international demands regarding Darfur. But, said Mr Fattah, Egypt does "not approve of resorting to sanctions or the threat of them as a way to deal with the Sudanese matter."

Egypt's defence of the Islamist regime in Khartoum comes despite a troubled diplomatic history between the two neighbours. Islamist movements have been defined the main enemy of the Egyptian government and Khartoum in the past has been accused of harbouring Islamist terrorist that have been active in Egypt. Extremism has however softened considerably in Khartoum during the years as die-hard Islamists were thrown out of government.

Egypt in fact has found a defender of its main regional security concerns in the reformed Khartoum government. The main issue uniting Cairo and Khartoum is maintaining a status quo regarding the Nile lifeline. The US-allies Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and the upcoming autonomous South Sudan are pressuring to renegotiate old Nile treaties with Egypt and Sudan. Khartoum is however firmly on Cairo's side, defending these treaties.

The government in Egypt is increasingly concerned over being sidelined in questions regarding the sources of its life-giving waters, Sudan analyst Uwe Friesecke told afrol News. All the Nile countries, except Egypt, are part of the IGAD group of nations negotiating a peace settlement between North and South Sudan. If Western powers succeed in changing the regime in Khartoum, Mr Friesecke says, the Nile treaties protecting Egypt's rights may finally succumb.

This conspiracy theory is also common belief in the Khartoum government. Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Taha this week told the press that the attacks on his government over the Darfur crisis was "a fierce Zionist campaign" against Sudan as part of the region's water conflict. "The Israelis think they have put the Euphrates [Iraq] in their pocket and they are now moving towards the Nile, Egypt and the Sudan alike."

Also the enormous unexploited oil resources in Sudan are uniting China and Egypt in their fight to avoid UN sanctions, which according to the US draft resolution are to include an oil export embargo. China - the world's fastest growing economy in real numbers - has vital strategic interests in Sudan's oil reserves, where it still does not face competition from US companies.

Also Egypt has seen Sudan as a natural expansion field for its own oil industry. Little information has been made public about Egyptian oil investments in Sudan - a troublesome affair given the strong US pressure not to invest in Sudan's oil sector - but a large number of Egyptian companies are involved here. Egypt's Oil Minister Sameh Fahmi last year visited Khartoum to sign an agreement regarding Egyptian technology transfer to Sudan and investments in the country. The deal has never been made public.

As the members of the UN Security Council are discussing the US draft resolution on Sudan, a frontline has already been created between Western powers and Arab and Asian nations. The US is supported by Germany and the UK. China has support from Pakistan and Algeria, while France and Russia have positions between the two blocks.

China, the only Asian veto-holding power in the UN Security Council, has already announced it will block any resolution containing sanctions against Sudan. The Chinese Security Council member can claim to present his veto on behalf of Egypt and other Arab nations, which do not have a permanent representation in the Council. The Chinese and Egyptian Foreign Ministers in their Cairo meeting also agreed that this situation in the Council was unjust and that China would lobby for a permanent Arab Council member.

By staff writers

© afrol News

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