Bashir says Sudan looking forward to work with Trump administration

January 22, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – President Omer al-Bashir Sunday said Sudan is looking forward to working with President Donald Trump’s administration for the development of relations between the two countries.

A week before to leave the White House former President Barak Obama partially removed economic sanctions on Sudan, allowing the east African nation to perform financial transactions after nearly 20 years. However, the decision will be fully effective within six months as the final decision will be in the hands of Trump administration.

“We look forward that the U.S. decision to lift the economic embargo be the door to the development of bilateral relations in all fields under the administration of President Donald Trump, to serve (bilateral) interests and enhance international peace and security.”

Al-Bashir who was speaking at the opening of the new headquarters of the High Security Academy in Khartoum, also pointed to the efforts exerted by Sudanese political, security, economic, and diplomatic sectors to ensure the lifting of embargo.

He also reiterated that his government would cooperate with the new American administration to strengthen international peace and security.

In an interview with the UAE-based Al Khaleej newspaper on 29 november, al-Bashir said he is “convinced that dealing with President-elect Donald Trump will be a lot easier than dealing with others, because he is a straightforward person”.

“He [Trump] focuses on the interests of the American citizen unlike those who used to speak about transparency, democracy and human rights. He is a businessman who seeks to achieve interests and it would be easy to deal with him,” al-Bashir said.

Washington imposed economic and trade sanctions on Sudan in 1997 in response to its alleged connection to terror networks and human rights abuses. In 2006 it strengthened the embargo, citing abuses in Darfur which it labelled as genocide.

(ST)