The Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir received the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) who arrived in Sudan for a three day visit. Abbas is heading a delegation of senior Palestinian Authority officials and will hold talks with Sudanese officials. He will also sign a number of memoranda of mutual understanding between the two countries.
The Minister of State for the Sudanese Foreign Ministry Obaidullah Mohamed Obaidullah said that bilateral relations between Sudan and Palestine and ways of strengthening historic relations will be discussed during the visit. He made these remarks at Khartoum airport after President Omar Al-Bashir received his Palestinian guest.
Abu Mazen arrived in Khartoum yesterday at the head of a large and high profile delegation that includes the Foreign Minister of the Palestinian National Authority Riyad Al-Malki, an official responsible for Palestinian security affairs and the Palestinian President’s special advisor.
The Sudanese minister continued by saying that Sudan considers the Palestinian cause to be very important. He also said that the two presidents will discuss issues of common concern and sign a number of memoranda of understanding in order to create a new phase in the relationship between the two countries.
Obaidullah also said that Abu Mazen’s visit precedes the 27th Arab League summit that will be held in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott at the end of this month. It is expected that the Palestinian cause will be an important point on the agenda.
The Sudanese minister also said that the Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Africa is expected to be a topic of discussion, especially as he visited countries surrounding Sudan.
Abu Mazen’s current visit to Sudan is the third that he has made since he became the President of the Palestinian Authority. He last visited Sudan in 2009. Although the visit was not announced beforehand, observers say that the visit may indicate changes in Sudan’s foreign policy towards the Palestinian Authority, especially since Khartoum maintains a good relationship with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).