Sudan says US sanctions renewal does not alter dialogue

Oct 4, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan has ruled out that a U.S.decision to renew economic sanctions on Sudan would negatively impact a bilateral dialogue between Khartoum and Washington for improving ties, local daily Al-Sudani reported on Saturday.

The Sudanese government saw the decision by U.S. President George W. Bush coming within the framework of the U.S. election campaign and under the pressures which the Bush administration wasfacing from the lobby groups and the opposition Democratic Party, the report said.

In a letter to the U.S. Congress released by the White House onWednesday, Bush announced that he had decided to “continue to maintain sanctions against Sudan.”

Al-Wasila al-Samani, Minister of State of the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, told Al-Sudani newspaper that the decision of extending the U.S. sanctions on Sudan was a routine one which had been foreseen by the Sudanese government although a direct dialogue hadbeen held between the two countries.

“The beginning of the dialogue does not mean a lift of the sanctions, but it will possibly contribute to an improvement of relations which will lead to the lift of the economic sanctions onSudan,” the Sudanese minister said.

Al-Samani noted that the dialogue would continue as long as theU.S. administration had the desire to establish relations based onmutual respect and exchange of interests.

(Xinhua)