Sudan refuses US demand to sever ties with Iran and Hamas – Nafie

October 10, 2011 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan has rejected an American request to cut its relations with Iran and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) catalogued respectively as supporting terror and as a terrorist group by the State Department.

Relations between Khartoum and Washington have been strained since the coup d’état that brought General Omer al-Bashir to power in June 1989. Sudan was designated a state sponsor of terror in 1993 and has been subjected to economic and trade sanctions since 1997.

Tensions remain high between the two countries despite the independence of South Sudan as Washington refuses to honor its pledge of removing the sanctions and lifting Sudan’s name from the terror list.

The US Administration demands more in terms of conflict resolution in Darfur, Abyei and Blue Nile and South Kordofan. Khartoum says Washington does not want to remove the sanctions and intends to blackmail the regime while it conducts a policy of regime change in Sudan.

Speaking before the students of Nilein University in Khartoum, Presidential Assistant and deputy chairman of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) Nafie Ali Nafie said his government had refused a request filed by the US Administration to severe ties with Iran and Hamas.

“The Sudanese government will not normalize relations with the West at the expense of its policies based on the pride and dignity”, Nafie said. He added that they want good relations with Washington but established on the mutual respect and interests.

He went further to say that Washington failed five times recently to impose an international intervention through the UN Security Council in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. Referring to China and Russia, he pointed out that there are countries who refuse to obey American and say no.

He also said he told French officials recently at the presidential palace in Paris that they are damned to deal positively with Khartoum “We asked them to deal respectfully with us”, he stressed.

Nafie was in Paris on 15 September and he met with André Parant, Sarkosy’s adviser for African affairs, to talk about Sudan’s efforts in the fight against the former Libyan leader Gaddafi and the effect of his fall in the region.

Nafie repeated also his belief that the balance of power in the world has changed in favor of China which will play a more important role in the international relations.

He said the economic leadership actually moved to Asia in China, Malaysia and Russia, stressing economic leadership is followed by the political leadership.

He added that Sudan lived under the dominance of the West, but he believes it is over now.

(ST)