Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2016 19:25:47 +0200
Will reviving old parliament bring Egypt-Sudan relations back to life?
CAIRO — The Egyptian Foreign Ministry recently accused the media of exaggerating the dispute between Egypt and Sudan over the Halayeb and Shalateen triangle, arguing that the issue does not represent a crisis between the two countries, which share good relations.
However, the ongoing debate in Egyptian political circles about the possibility of reinstating the Nile Valley Parliament, a body comprising parliamentarians from both countries, reveals deep political tension between the two.
The chairman of the Egyptian parliament’s Arab Affairs Committee delivered a speech in the Sudanese parliament demanding the reinstatement of the Nile Valley Parliament, and conveyed the same message to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry June 5. Some Egyptian politicians did not welcome the call, considering that Sudan’s politics toward Egypt have shifted.
The Nile Valley Parliament was established under the Charter of Integration between Egypt and Sudan, signed in 1982. It agreed to equal treatment for citizens, providing for freedom of movement, residency, acquisitions, labor and trade exchange between the two countries, as well as a joint unified policy at the level of international relations and diplomatic representation.
Hatem Bashat, the chairman of the Committee for African Affairs at the Egyptian Parliament, told Al-Monitor, “Efforts to revive the Nile Valley Parliament are essential to break the ice in the Egyptian-Sudanese relations and bring views together regarding the contentious issues between the two sides.”
According to the Charter of Integration between Egypt and Sudan, the Nile Valley Parliament comprises 60 members: the Egyptian and Sudanese parliament speakers, 19 members from the Egyptian parliament, 19 members from Sudan’s regional councils of people, and 21 qualified members who are interested in the integration affairs between the countries, appointed by the president of each country.
However, the work of the Nile Valley Parliament came to a halt after the integration charter was suspended in the wake of the 1985 popular uprising in Sudan. The uprising overthrew the presidency of Jaafar Nimeiri, whom Egypt granted the right to political asylum.
Commenting on the role the Nile Valley Parliament could play in resolving the Halayeb triangle crisis, as well as the split in visions over the Renaissance Dam, Bashat said, “The parliament expresses the views of the representatives of the people in both countries and not that of the governments. Such issues are highly sensitive."
He added, “Parliament will be a channel [of communications with people] with positive feedback with regard to such crises, most importantly the revival of the historic relations between the two countries."
Khaled al-Odaisi, a specialist in Sudanese affairs, told Al-Monitor, “Current relations between the two countries are very tense and cannot be solved through the Nile Valley Parliament.”
There are differences in the countries’ political and security perspectives, he said. Also aggravating the situation is “Egypt’s claims that its border with Sudan is a port for infiltrators and illegal weapons trafficking, in addition to the Halayeb and Shalateen triangle problem.”
Odaisi added, “Calls for the revival of the Charter of Integration between Sudan and Egypt abound from time to time, while this necessitates rebuilding of confidence first. This will happen only once the disputed issues are resolved. Although the relations between the two sides have historical roots, [they were not built] on mutual benefits and interests.”
Commenting on the Egyptian Foreign Ministry statements that the media is behind the escalation of the Halayeb and Shalateen triangle issue and that relations are actually still sound, Odaisi said, “This is half of the truth.” He said the media in both countries have indeed escalated the situation, but to claim that relations are sound is far from realistic.
“There is clear tension and differences in vision with respect to cross-cutting issues, including the Renaissance Dam,” he added.
The Halayeb and Shalateen triangle crisis has started to overshadow even the Renaissance Dam negotiations among Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia — especially in light of Khartoum’s stance in support of Ethiopia against Cairo. Sudan believes the dam brings benefits, while Cairo says it will have severe negative impacts on its water share and will deteriorate the quality of the Nile downstream.
Ahmed Imbabi, the undersecretary of the Egyptian Parliament’s Arab Affairs Committee, stressed that attempts to revive the Nile Valley Parliament are to no avail, because Sudan’s political stances regarding Egypt are volatile.
However, Kamal Omar, a leader in Sudan’s Popular Congress Party, told Al-Monitor by phone that he is in favor of reviving the parliament between Egypt and Sudan and that some political figures also welcome this move.
“This is the right time for the leaders of both countries to settle matters of dispute,” Omar said, adding that the parliament is a good channel of communications capable of easing escalation or the prospect of war between the two countries. “The relations that bind the Egyptians with the Sudanese prevent us from pointing a gun in the face of one another because it would kill both of us.”
He added, “The issue of the Halayeb and Shalateen triangle and the Renaissance Dam are at the basis of the current escalation, due to lack of understanding on both issues.”
Reviving the Nile Valley Parliament as a means to solve the current issues between Cairo and Khartoum could be meaningless, given the full suspension of the integration charter between them. But the charter could hold solutions for the most complex issues. First, per the charter, the Halayeb and Shalateen triangle would turn into a common area on the borders. The charter also provides for unifying stances related to the Nile waters, including the Renaissance Dam.