The Revolutionary Government realizing it fully well that no government could survive unless it was able to meet country’s desire to be free and unoccupied. Therefore, they started negotiations with the British Government.
In the negotiations the Revolutionary Government adopted a realistic approach and decided to consider the two outstanding issues separately. On the question of Sudan they did not insist that Sudan was a part of Egypt and must be treated as such. They recognized the right of the Sudanese to determine their own future? The other conditions of agreement with Sudan included holdings of immediate elections, speedy.
Sudanization of all services, a transitional period of three years at the end of which a referendum was to be held to decide whether the Sudanese should be independent or united with Egypt. This was indeed a shrewd move on the part of Egyptian leaders. By agreeing to the principle of self- determination for Sudan, they deprived Britain of the opportunity of using it as a pretext to postpone the issue.
After signing an agreement on the Sudan question, the Revolutionary leaders initiated negotiations with the British for the evacuation of the Suez Canal zone. These talks however, took considerably long time and involved lot of adjustments regarding the terms and conditions of agreement.
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The agreement which was signed on 19 October 1954 and came into force after ratification by the Parliaments of England and Egypt provided: (1) Withdrawal of British forces from the Egyptian territory iii gradual stages, but within 20 months of the signing of the agreement.
(2) It declared termination of the 1936 Treaty without specifying the time of termination.
(3) Certain parts of the Canal base were to be kept in efficient working under and capable of immediate use in the case the need for reactivation of base arose.
(4) On withdrawal of British forces from base, the Egyptian Government was to assume responsibility for the security of all base installations and equipment.
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(5) The UK Government was to maintain and operate the installations through contracts with British of Egyptian commercial firms.
(6) British Government was authorized to attach temporary personnel to HM’s Embassy in Cairo for the purpose of inspection of installations.
(7) Suez Canal was recognized as an integral part of Egypt but the waterway was declared as economically and strategically of international importance in which freedom of navigation was assured.
The signing of the Suez agreement marked the culmination of Egypt’s anti-Imperialist movement. It finally ended Britain’s military occupation of Egypt and for the first time twenty million Egyptians felt that they were really an independent and sovereign nation.