Sudanese government rejects as unfair the renewal of US embargo

KHARTOUM, Oct. 30, 2003 (dpa) — The Sudanese government Thursday angrily cited a decision by the United States to renew economic sanctions against Sudan as “unfair”.

Mutrif Sadiq, a senior Ministry of Foreign Affairs official stated Thursday, that the renewal of sanctions imposed by the U.S. in 1997 was “unfair, unrealistic and contradictory to the previous pledges made by the USA”.

Sadiq said U.S. President George W. Bush’s Wednesday extension of sanctions against Sudan, applied for another year would strengthen the position of the Sudanese government.

Sadiq however did not specify how this would come about, although he said the embargo would never make Sudan submit to U.S. demands to sign a peace deal with Sudanese rebels.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell during a visit to the site of peace talks a week ago reiterated the U.S. intention to lift the embargo once a peace deal was signed between the warring parties in the Sudanese conflict.

Sadiq, who is also member of the government negotiating team to the peace talks with rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army, said his country’s foreign policy always regarded terrorism as a global threat.

Sudan has been on a U.S. list of countries supporting international terrorism since 1993.