Qandil: Egypt backs peace, stability in Arab, African countries

Egypt's Prime Minister Hisham Qandil has affirmed that his visit to South Sudan carries several important messages, mainly supporting Arab and African states along with backing peace and stability in these countries. In pre-departure statements Thursday, Qandil said that Egypt supports efforts exerted by the South Sudanese government in attracting investment from various countries. Egypt is keen on consolidating relations with the nascent South Sudan as it represents a strategic depth to Egypt, Qandil said. As for talks with the south Sudanese side, Qandil said the talks tackled the political file, in which Egypt's voiced its readiness to support security and stability in the Middle East region. The talks also took up providing support for South Sudan in various fields, including education, health and agriculture, Qandil said. As for the relations between Sudan and South Sudan, Qandil said that Egypt is ready to cooperate with the two countries to realize peace between the two sides. The land highway between Egypt and Sudan will be inaugurated soon, Qandil said, adding that the new route will be extended to Juba and then to Uganda. Regarding his meeting with South Sudan's President Salva Kiir , Qandil said the meeting tackled several political issues along with ways to bring about stability and peace in the region and Egypt's role in the development of South Sudan.