FUTURE OF SUDAN

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26847, 27 September 1952, Page 7

FUTURE OF SUDAN

Talks In London And Cairo

(Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON, Sept, 26. Sayed Abdel el Mahdi Pasha, the political and religious leader of the Sudan, at present in London, is to go to Cairo for talks with the Egyptian Government a after his British visit, which is expected to last three weeks. While in London he will discuss questions relating to the Sudan with the Foreign Secretary (Mr R. A. Eden). He said today that he wanted to impress upon the British Government that there could be no delay in holding Sudanese elections and arriving at a free Sudanese Government before the end of the year. He said he had no reason to believe that the British Go\tsrnment wanted to change their attitude to the Sudan because of the change of government in Egypt. The question of whether a free Sudan would join the British Commonwealth would have to be decided by the free Sudan Parliament. Once Sudan’s self-determination had been achieved he thought the country would be prepared to negotiate friendlv treaties with Britain and America. “We think, the Sudan would stand with the Western bloc,” he added.