Sudan denies talks with Israel to normalize ties
KHARTOUM, Mar 13, 2004 (Xinhua) — Sudan’s Foreign Minister Mostafa Othman Ismail on Saturday denied reports that his country held talks with Israel to normalize relations.
Any normalization with the Jewish state is conditional on resolving the Palestinian problem, Ismail said in a press release.
Israel Radio has recently reported that Israel and Sudan are having contacts to establish diplomatic relations between them.
Ismail stressed that Sudan has agreed to the Beirut Arab summit’s initiative, which called for normalizing relations with Israel after resolving the Palestinian dilemma.
“If this materializes, then every country should look after its interests,” Ismail said, adding “only then would we establish economic ties with Israel if they best served the interests of Sudan.”
The top Sudanese diplomat also dismissed as groundless reports that his country had contacts with the US administration to transfer Ethiopia’s Falasha Jews to Israel via Sudan.
“Washington is on good terms with Addis Ababa whose airport is open” to transfer those Jews, Ismail explained.
Earlier on Saturday, Ibrahim Ahmed Omar, Secretary General of the ruling Sudanese National Congress, also denied any contacts with Israel.
No Israeli delegate has contacted Sudanese President Omar Al- Bashir and the Sudanese charge d’affaires in Washington did not discuss with any Israeli figure establishment of relations between the two sides, Omar told Egypt’s official MENA news agency.
Khartoum would never recognize the state of Israel unless Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat did, he said.