U.S. restrictions on Sudanese banks lifted fully: official
April 30, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – A visiting delegation from the U.S. Department of Treasury said all restrictions on banking transactions with Sudan have been lifted.
In press statements following his meeting with the Foreign Ministry Under-Secretary Abdel-Ghani al-Nai’im on Sunday, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorist Financing Marshall Billingslea said time has come to integrate Sudan into the global economy, describing their visit to Khartoum as important.
Billingslea pointed out that the U.S. has informed countries of the region that restrictions on Sudanese banks have been lifted, saying the visit aims to send a message that Washington is ready to move forward to normalize its ties with Khartoum.
“We have sent a message to the Gulf countries and the region,” he said.
For his part, al-Nai’im said they demanded the U.S. delegation to help with the cancellation of Sudan’s foreign debt, pointing out that they invited U.S. companies to invest in Sudan during the next period.
He expected that practical moves in economic cooperation between Sudan and the U.S. would take place soon.
Sudan is still on the list of state sponsors of terrorism which prevents Washington form supporting the debt relief and other economic measures including receiving development aid or buying U.S. weapons
The visiting American official called on the Sudanese government to make further progress on freedoms and human rights in order to normalize relations with the United States and remove Sudan from the terror list.
Billingslea also met with the Sudanese defence minister Awad Ibn Ouf who reaffirmed Sudan’s commitment to the UN resolutions on North Korea, and to fight terrorism in the framework of international cooperation. Also, he a number of issues raised by the American delegation.
(ST)