Iranian president to hold talks with Sudanese counterpart

Feb 26, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — The heads of state of Sudan and Iran meet in Khartoum on Wednesday to cement ties between their countries, both of which appear increasingly defiant in the face of mounting Western pressure.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will start his two-day visit with his country seemingly more determined than ever to pursue a nuclear programme it calls peaceful, but which the West claims is aimed at building atomic weapons.

Sudan, considered along with Iran a state sponsor of terrorism by Washington, has refused to allow the deployment of international troops in Darfur where some say genocide is taking place.

But while Khartoum blows hot and cold about the deployment of UN peacekeepers, it has recently accepted limited UN support for an African Union force currently operating in the western region ravaged by four years of war.

“Sudan and Iran feel targeted and must respond by making diplomatic efforts to better explain their positions in regional and international forums,” said Sudanese presidential adviser Mustafa Othman Ismail.

Ahmadinejad is visiting Khartoum following an invitation by Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir, who was himself in Tehran in April 2006.

Beyond the visit’s political dimension, the two leaders are expected to discuss ways to develop their modest economic relationship.

Iran’s ambassador to Khartoum, Reza Amiri, said he hoped business partnerships could help increase the volume of bilateral trade to 70 million dollars per year, up from the current 43 million dollars.

Iran is currently engaged in two projects in Sudan, one water project worth 30 million dollars and another in electricity production worth 130 million dollars.

Iran is also ready to offer Sudan its expertise in the oil exploitation field, an area currently dominated by the Chinese.

In January, Iran and Sudan signed a memorandum of understanding for the expansion of mutual defence cooperation through expert exchanges.

Iran and Sudan share the “same vision (on international issues), have similar orientations and rely on their own powers,” said Ismail.

He said that while both countries have been accused of sponsoring terrorism, they have also both called for an international conference to differentiate between terrorism and “resistance”.

In October, Iran’s agriculture minister visiting Khartoum said both countries had to stand together in the face of colonialism.

(AFP)