Libya PM's visit aims for thaw of ties with Sudan

As Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani's visit to Khartoum concludes Wednesday, political analysts say his visit signals Sudan and Libya are preparing to turn a new leaf following months of political tensions and accusations.
Al-Thani's visit to Khartoum came after Libya accused the African nation of supporting Libyan armed groups that are currently battling other militias in the country and creating widespread political chaos.
Tensions reached a tipping point when a Sudanese military airlifter carrying ammunition and military equipment was caught in Libya's southern city of Kufra in early September. Libya accused Sudan of shipping the ammunition to Islamist militias.
The allegation increased animosity between the two sides, but the Libyan leader's high-profile visit could change the tense atmosphere.
"We think the visit of the Libyan prime minister to Khartoum is very important," Mahmoud Abddin, a Sudanese political analyst and general coordinator of the Revolutionary Committees Movement in Sudan, told Xinhua Wednesday.
"The importance of the visit is represented in the fact that it brings the ties between the two countries back to the right track where Sudan can play a positive role to rescue Libya and end the deterioration going on there. This is a national duty that Sudan must do," he noted.
Abddin reiterated the importance of implementing the agreements and understandings reached by the two sides during al-Thani's visit, pointing out that "this will greatly contribute to ending the deterioration of the situations in Libya."
Al-Saddiq Abdul-Jalil, a Sudanese political analyst, for his part, stressed the importance of Sudan's role in achieving stability in Libya and preventing it from sliding into a civil war.
"Sudan has an axial and important role and the Libyan leadership is aware of that. This visit came within this context and it is an attempt to put the bilateral ties on the right path and remove the recent misunderstanding," Abdul-Jalil told Xinhua.
He went on saying that "the visit also availed Sudan the opportunity to directly explain its stance for the Libyan leadership and reaffirm that it has distanced itself from all the Libyan rivals and that it is concerned with the stability in Libya. "
According to Abdul-Jalil al-Thani's visit came as part of what he termed as "Sudan's revision of its alliances in the region," noting that the Libyan leader's visit followed two visits by the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to Riyadh and Cairo.
"It is apparent that the recent visits of al-Bashir, namely the one to Cairo, expedited the arrival of the Libyan prime minister in Khartoum. There are now Sudanese attempts to revise the external alliances," he noted.
Mekki al-Meghrabi, a Sudanese political analyst, also agreed that the Libyan official's visit would positively reflect on the Sudanese-Libyan relations.
"I think the page of difference between Sudan and Libya has been folded. I expect Sudan, Libya and Egypt to get into a military and security cooperation, given the reality on the ground in Libya, with the aim to impose security and stability and rebuild the Libyan army," al-Meghrabi told Xinhua.
Al-Thani arrived in the Sudanese capital city of Khartoum on Monday, starting an official three-day visit where he held talks with al-Bashir and met a number of Sudanese government officials.
The talks focused mainly on bilateral ties, joint security issues and efforts to bring political stability to Libya. The two sides announced that they have agreed on a regional plan, including Libya's neighboring countries, to resolve the conflict there. They also agreed to implement the joint military agreements signed between them.
Al-Bashir reiterated the importance of bringing Libya's rival factions together towards a comprehensive political solution agreed upon by all parties to achieve peace and stability in Libya, expressing his country's readiness to provide whatever may achieve national reconciliation in Libya.
Al-Thani, for his part, said his country is keen to find a peaceful political solution within Libya as a united country, pointing out that his country is looking forward to strong relations between the governments and peoples of the two countries.