In reference to a Sudanese Constituency Order for an election of the House of
Representatives (which included the Sudanese administered territories north of the 22nd
parallel), the Egyptian Government on February 1, 1958, sent a note to the Sudanese
Government requesting the return of all territory north of the 22nd parallel to Egyptian
administration. In return Egypt would reciprocate by turning over the Egyptian administered
territory south of the 22nd parallel to Sudanese administration. The Egyptian government
noted that the territories north of the 22nd parallel were never part of the Sudan but were
actually under Egyptian sovereignty because they were formerly administered by a bilateral
arrangement in which Egypt was a partner. On February 16, 1958, Egypt informed the
Sudanese government that it intended to send electoral committees guarded by a
detachment of the frontier police to the areas in question for a plebiscite, which would take
place on February 21, 1958, for confirmation of the United Arab Republic and in which all
citizens were to participate. In response the Sudanese Government pointed out that in two
previous elections held in the Sudanese territories north of the 22nd parallel, the Egyptian
Government had not lodged any complaint. It also added that the inhabitants of these
territories had not been asked to vote in a previous plebiscite held in Egypt. For most
purposes the states concerned had treated the two territories as being under Sudanese
administration for approximately a half century.9 On February 21, 1958, a plebiscite was
held in Egypt and in Syria, and the people accepted the merging of the two states into the
United Arab Republic by an overwhelming majority. Since the establishment of the union
on February 22, 1958, the question of sovereignty has not been raised by the United Arab
Republic in the disputed boundary areas.
المصـدر
http://www.law.fsu.edu/library/collection/LimitsinSeas/IBS018.pdf
