Sudan urges new U.S. Administration to reconsider policy towards Khartoum
January 7, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s Foreign Ministry Saturday has called on the incoming U.S. Administration to reconsider Washington’s policy towards Khartoum following the large changes in the political scene.
Sudan’s State Foreign Minister Kamal Ismail said “Sudan has expressed practical desire to cooperate with Washington on terrorism and human trafficking dossiers”.
He told the pro-government Sudan Media Center (SMC) that large efforts have been made to reach understandings with Washington to lift the economic sanctions imposed on Sudan during the coming period.
“We expected that the economic sanctions wouldn’t be extended but unfortunately it was renewed at the end of Obama’s term,” he said.
Ismail underscored his government’s readiness to cooperate with the new U.S. Administration to achieve Sudan’s legitimate interests, pointing the Foreign Ministry expects a breakthrough in the US-Sudanese relations.
Sudan has been under US economic sanctions since 1997 and remains on the US blacklist of state sponsors of terror since 1993. After 2003 sanctions were twice tightened over the conflict in the Darfur region and human rights violations in other parts of the country.
Last October, President Barak Obama extended Sudan’s sanction for another year saying that “The actions and policies of the Sudanese government continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States”.
Trump didn’t speak about Sudan during his election campaign. However one of his foreign policy advisers, Walid Phares, vowed to support the struggle of Sudanese people for freedom.
In the wake of Trump’s election last November, Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour said he does not expect major change in the U.S. policy towards Sudan.
Nonetheless, Ghandour stressed that Sudan would continue to engage in dialogue with the United States until it reaches understandings to normalize bilateral relations.
(ST)