Sudan economic forum to attract Gulf investors
Nov 8, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir on Wednesday invited Arab Gulf countries to consider public and private investments in the African country, at the opening of a two-day economic forum in Khartoum.
Bashir told economists and businessmen from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait — that Sudan was ready for their investments.
“Our country is currently enjoying growth and peace despite an unjust embargo,” he said referring to US sanctions.
He said the government had managed to “pacify the country”, after peace deals were signed with former southern and eastern rebels, as well as rebels from the Western region of Darfur where 200,000 people were killed and 2.5 million displaced during a three year conflict.
“Some are trying to destroy the Darfur peace accord,” Bashir said, stressing his refusal of a deployment of UN forces in the war-torn region, saying it would be “detrimental to the people.”
During the forum, Sudanese authorities put forward dozens of potential projects in different economic sectors, while promoting the country’s natural resources.
Abdellatif Youcef al-Hamad, the head of the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), which has financed over 28 development projects in Sudan worth one billion dollars since 1974, urged Khartoum to make more efforts to improve infrastructure and train technicians.
(AFP)