Riyadh didn’t request Khartoum to take particular stance on Gulf crisis: envoy
July 4, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – The Saudi Ambassador to Khartoum Ali bin Hassan Jaafar on Tuesday denied that Riyadh has requested Khartoum to take a clear stance over the Gulf crisis.
Sudan is among the Arab states that refused to take part in the ongoing diplomatic crisis and declared its support for the Kuwaiti efforts to settle the rift.
In an interview with the Khartoum-based Al-Sudani newspaper on Sunday, Jaafar said his country has understood Sudan’s initial stance on the crises.
“However, if Qatari rulers insisted on rejecting the demands of the four countries and decided to escalate the situation and scramble for countries with ambitions in the region such as Turkey and Iran, we hope our Sudanese brothers will take a clear stance,” he said
At a news conference in Khartoum Tuesday, Jaafar said the Kingdom didn’t request Sudan to take a particular stance on the Gulf crisis, saying “we hope that Sudan will take a stance if Qatar continues to reject the demands put forward [by the four countries]”.
The quartet of countries issued a 13-point list of demands on June 22 to end the standoff and gave Qatar 10 days to comply. On Monday, they extended the deadline by another 48 hours to allow Doha to respond to their demands.
The Saudi diplomat stressed the Sudanese-Saudi relations are strong and improving, saying the two nations are coordinating positions in the various regional and international forums.
He praised the role and sacrifices of the Sudanese army in Yemen, saying an Arab conference will be held in November in Saudi Arabia to discuss ways to support reconstruction and development in Sudan.
The Sudanese army has been participating in the Saudi-led military coalition since 2015 in a regional effort to back the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour
Hadi after he was ousted from the capital Sanaa by the Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels.
Last May, Sudanese military sources dismissed media reports that 80 Sudanese troops have been killed in Yemen saying only 21 were killed, including 4 officers.
(ST)