Sudan Archive

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I have been asked to convey the following message to Your Excellency on behalf of the Egyptian Government: .... (2) On this occasion, I wish to inform Your Excellency that the Egyptian Government remains committed to its position regarding the existing system in Sudan, a position it has previously taken before the Security Council. If it participated in discussions concerning the Executive Council and the Legislative Assembly, its fundamental aim in these discussions, as I have previously informed the British Government, was to establish a temporary transitional system during which the Sudanese would train in self-governance. Egypt would cooperate positively in this, with Egyptians in the Executive Council being on an equal footing with the British in terms of status and number. Thus, when the transitional period expired, the Sudanese would be able to fully assume control of their affairs under the banner of the common Egyptian crown and within the framework of the unity of the Nile Valley.

(4) Since the law issued by His Excellency the Governor-General does not achieve this fundamental aim, and at the same time, as previously stated, is a law that the Governor-General does not have the authority to issue, the Egyptian Government can only reserve all its rights in this matter. I take this opportunity to express my sincere greetings to Your Excellency. Issued on July 5, 1948.

Ambassador, Abdel Fattah Amr Consequently, the Legislative Assembly was established in December 1948 without the approval of the Egyptian Government. The Sudanese differed on this matter, with the independence bloc accepting to work within it despite its weak powers, in order to make it a constitutional body that would enable them to confront the British from within and to communicate with the condominium powers and the United Nations if the situation called for it. Therefore, its period of permanence was not long. Within two years of its establishment, the Independence Bloc, led by the Umma Party, began a campaign demanding self-governance, which Mr. Mohamed El Hag Amin proposed on behalf of that bloc in December 1950 as follows: To send a letter to the Governor-General with the following text: "We, the members of the Legislative Assembly of Sudan, are of the opinion that Sudan has reached a stage where it can be granted self-governance. We request Your Excellency to contact the condominium powers, asking them to issue a joint declaration granting self-governance to Sudan before the end of the third session."

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