Sudanese president receives head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad

February 3, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir has met with the leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Ramadan Shalah, at his residence in Khartoum.

Sudan’s official state news agency (SUNA) said the two men discussed issues of mutual concern.

It is not clear when Shalah arrived in Sudan.

The PIJ is designated as a terrorist organisation by the United States, United Kingdom and European Union.

Israel accuses Sudan of serving as a hub for transiting Iranian weapons via the Egyptian Sinai desert to militant groups in the Gaza strip, including PIJ.

The Israeli air force are believed to have launched several airstrikes against targets in Sudan since 2009, including one as recent as last October on a military complex near Khartoum.

In an interview with Qatar-based Al-Jazeera TV last November, the PIJ chief acknowledged that Iran is the main source of weapons used by his organisation.

(ST)