President Hosni Mubarak received on 1/11/2009 a message from Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir dealing with bilateral relations, developments in Sudan and regional and international issues of common concern.

The Sudanese Presidential Adviser posted the Egyptian leader on the latest developments in Sudan, and discussed ways to broaden the scope and scale of bilateral ties in all domains and arrangements for the coming joint ministerial committee meeting, slated for late this year in Khartoum.

Sudanese President Bashir is due to visit Egypt next week at the invitation of President Mubarak to attend the Forum on China-African Cooperation (FOCAC) which will be hosted by the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh on 8-9 November, Ismail said.

The visit will offer a good opportunity for the two leaders to meet and have more talks.

He also said he asserted to Mubarak during their meeting Bashir's interest in attending the forum, given that Sudan is the current chair of the G-77 plus China.

Ismail expressed Sudan's full appreciation of the role played by Egypt to push forward its peace process to preserve unity, maintain stability, resolve the Darfur problem and implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

"We are looking forward to next week's summit talks between Mubarak and Bashir," he said, pointing out that he expects the meeting between the two leaders to give a stronger boost to bilateral relations.

Asked about a call by Sudanese Vice-President Salva Kiir for a split between north and south Sudan, Ismail said he believes that Kiir has been misquoted and that his words have been misconstrued.

This is a strange departure from the call for unity which Salva Kiir made just a fortnight ago during a visit to Kordofan and the Blue Nile provinces, the Sudanese presidential advisor said. "Our paramount focus must be the unity of Sudan," he stressed.

Khartoum welcomes the report of the African Union which called for the establishment of a special tribunal to try those involved in crimes against humanity in Darfur and a peaceful solution to Darfur problem, the Sudanese official said. The only reservation Sudan has on the report is the item which calls for forming hybrid courts to establish justice in Darfur, he said.

"We just need the picture to be clear about the way these courts would be operating. We want their modus operandi to be in line with Sudan's laws and constitution." he said. The suggested hybrid courts would set a precedent for all other disputes in Africa and so they would need to be discussed further and to be scrutinised by Sudanese legal experts, he said.

"We welcome any party that would like to monitor the future trials to stand on their fairness and transparency," he said.

"Sudan's focus right now is to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement," he concluded.