Britain pledges to support Sudan’s removal from terrorism list
April 24, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Britain has pledged to support Sudan’s removal from US list of state sponsors of terrorism, at the end of the fifth meeting of the UK-Sudan Strategic Dialogue held in the Sudanese capital in Khartoum on Tuesday.
The biannual meetings covered bilateral issues, Sudan’s peace process, human rights, development, trade and investment, migration, defence, counter-terrorism, and regional issues including South Sudan.
Speaking at a joint press conference, Neil Wigan, British Foreign Office’s Director for Africa said the two sides discussed “a number of important military, security, economic and human rights issues.”
The two sides agreed to complement joint action in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
The British official further said that his country would confirm to the United States Sudan’s cooperation in the fight against terrorism, and support efforts to remove it from the list of terror list.
The British diplomat, however, was quick to stress that the final decision will be taken by the American administration.
Khartoum and Washington said they would resume soon discussions over the normalization of bilateral relations and Sudan’s removal from the list of terrorism list.
While Khartoum says it is committed to the five engagement framework agreed in December 2016, Washington point to the need to improve human rights records and to ensure freedoms particularly religious freedom.
The issue of peace remains also on the negotiating table but US officials are inclined to put it aside blaming armed groups also for the continuation of the conflict in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan states and Darfur region.
The United Kingdom, and the United States and Norway are members of the Troika which facilitate the African Union-led process to end armed conflicts in Sudan.
Sudan’s Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Abdel Ghani al-Naim who co-chaired the Strategic Dialogue meetings, said the fifth session covered many aspects, especially military, security, economic topics.
The atmosphere of the fifth meeting was very positive and the parties reached “tangible results”.
The joint statement released at the end of the meetings hailed Khartoum’s continued commitment to the unilateral cessation of hostilities in the conflict areas and the establishment of a temporary operating UNAMID base in Golo.
On the human rights, the two countries agreed to continue dialogue between the two governments and that Sudan continues to uphold its commitments to international treaties and to cooperate with the (international) human rights mechanisms. In this regard, the meeting also welcomed Sudan’s adherence to some other instruments and related conventions.
They two sides also said alarmed by the continuation of the armed conflict in South Sudan, also London welcomed Sudan’s government continued support to the UN efforts deliver food to the affected South Sudanese though maintaining open humanitarian river and road corridors and hosting refugees coming from South Sudan.
(ST)
