U.S. diplomat charged with managing embassies visits Khartoum

By Daniel Van Oudenaren

October 27, 2008 (WASHINGTON) — The United States official responsible for the management and security of embassies visited the U.S. embassy in Khartoum over the weekend, according to a state news agency.

A U.S. Department of State spokeswoman confirmed that Under Secretary of State for Management Patrick Kennedy was in Sudan, though not on an official visit.

Kennedy was on a routine visit to the post. The diplomat is responsible for the personnel, resources, facilities, technology, consular affairs, and security of the State Department.

During his visit, Under Secretary Kennedy made an unplanned visit Sunday to Sudan’s Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mutrif Siddiq, according to a state news agency. A spokesman, Ali Al-Saddiq, said that the meeting has no direct link with the political work or the bilateral relations between Sudan and the United States.

Al-Saddiq indicated that the meeting addressed ways to improve conditions for the Sudanese Embassy in Washington and the American Embassy to Khartoum, so that diplomats can conduct their mission properly.

As part of a “reassessment of its personnel’s security posture,” the warden of the U.S. Embassy on Oct. 10 banned embassy personnel from attending a certain restaurant in Khartoum 2.

Other security precautions took place in July, when the embassy warden ordered the departure of diplomats’ family members from Sudan.

(ST)