Sudan finance minister discusses debt relief with visiting U.S. congressman

November 6, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese minister of Finance and National Economy, Ali Mahmood Hassanein met today with the chairman of the Senate US Foreign Relations Committee Senator John Kerry for talks on a number of issues including debt relief.

Sudan official news agency (SUNA) said that Kerry who was accompanied by special envoy Scott Gration said both sides also discussed combating poverty, the South Sudan referendum and development strategy in Darfur.

Hassanein told Kerry that the government was keen on making the referendum in south Sudan successful and determining the future of southerners in a way that is satisfactory and fair for all the Sudanese.

SUNA said the US Senator promised the establishment of a committee comprising the Sudanese and US sides to deliberate and arrive at a resolution to Sudan’s foreign debts.

Kerry who arrived in Sudan a little over a week since his last visit has been focusing on getting assurances that the North is committed to holding the referendum on time or face sanctions.

The U.S. lawmaker said during his trip in the last week of October that he received written assurances from the Sudanese government that it would respect the January 9, 2011 date for the referendum in the South of the country despite mounting challenges to meet the deadline.

A well-placed source in Khartoum told Sudan Tribune that Western diplomats in the capital believe that Kerry likely came back with a detailed proposal for normalizing ties should Sudan heeds to U.S. demands. The offer would also include U.S. support for deferring the arrest warrant against Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir through the UN Security Council for one year that can be renewed indefinitely.

Sudan has been lobbying extensively to persuade members of the international community to help its efforts to relieve its large external debt and accused the U.S. of blocking any such efforts.

According to official figures, the foreign debt of the east African nation is standing at about $35.7 billion. A little less than half of that amount is the original amount borrowed and the rest is divided between interest and late payment penalties. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that Sudan’s foreign debt is projected to reach $37.8 billion this year.

(ST)