Hamdok to travel to Washington to discuss Sudan’s removal from terror list
October 31, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdouk will travel to Washington to discuss Sudan’s rescission from the U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism (SST), said Finance Minister Ibrahim al-Badawi on Thursday.
Al-Badawi made the announcement after his return from Washington after participation in the meeting of Friends of Sudan to discuss ways to support his government after the ouster of the al-Bashir’s regime.
U.S. officials admitted during the meeting that the SST’s designation obstructs any serious efforts to support Sudan through the international financial institutions or to invest there.
Further, they said exerting efforts to get Sudan out of this situation in the best delays, pointing that they would also discuss with the Congress additional restrictions imposed by three acts on Darfur and other laws.
Speaking at a press conference following his return from Washington, al-Badawi said that the Friends of Sudan will meet in December in Khartoum to discuss plans to support his country, and that a Sudan’s donor conference is scheduled for April 2020.
He reiterated that Sudan removal from the SST list is critical before to rehabilitate the Sudanese economy through grants and facilitated loans from the international financial institutions and to open the door for international private investments.
The minister further announced that Hamdok will travel to Washington to encourage the U.S. lawmakers to back the efforts of his government to stabilize the troubled country through peace and economic reforms.
The Sudanese premier had to meet congressmen last September but cancelled the meetings considering that he needs more time to spend with them instead of short encounters on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the UN General Assembly.
He is also expected to meet senior U.S officials with the requirements for Sudan’s lift from the terror list.
During a meeting with U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Brian Shukan on Monday 28 October, the Assistant Undersecretary at the Foreign Ministry Elham Mohamed Ahmed urged to re-establish a joint mechanism to resume the dialogue process with the United States to remove Sudan from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism.
After al-Bashir’s removal in April 2019, Washington cancelled a previous plan agreed with the former regime to delist Sudan from the blacklist.
(ST)