Israel holding secret contacts with Sudan and Libya : radio

TELAVIV, Mar 10, 2004 (Haaretz) — Israel is holding secret and indirect ties with Sudan and Libya, Army Radio reported Sunday.

According to the report, an American Jew met a month ago with Sudan’s President Omar al-Beshir in Khartoum and delivered a message to him that Israel was interested in holding meetings that would eventually lead to the establishment of formal relations between the two countries.

At the same time, Sudan’s ambassador to Washington met with Jewish delegates and said that his country was willing to hold an indirect dialogue with Israel, the report said.

The report added that a senior Libyan intelligence official met recently in Italy with Jewish representatives, and that similar meetings were held elsewhere in Europe and in the United States.

Government officials in Jerusalem are hoping that in the wake of the Iraq war, other Arab states would renew ties with Israel, in order to get closer to the U.S. administration.