April 7, 2020 (KHARTOUM) - The United States has made no decision yet on removing Sudan from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism (SST) as talks are still ongoing between the two countries.

Sudan this week announced the conclusion of the agreed settlement with the families of the victims of the bombing of USS Cole destroyer and remains engaged in talks to settle the case related to the attacks on US embassies in Dar es Salam and Nairobi.

The settlements are believed to be the last step towards the rescission of Sudan’s SST designation.

In statements to the U.S. funded Alhurra TV on Tuesday, a U.S. official expressed appreciation to the commitment demonstrated by the Sudanese government to address the compensation of the victims of USS Cole bombing.

However, the senior official who was speaking on condition of anonymity stressed that the two countries have not finalized discussions on the claims related to the 1998 East African Embassy bombings. 

He acknowledged that some progress has been made and stressed that the issue of compensation ’remains a priority for the U.S. administration". 

Besides the financial reparations for the victims, he said they are also discussing the requirements that Khartoum has to meet before the removal from the blacklist.

The official reiterated that they are discussing "the policy and statutory requirements" before the lifting of the SST designation.

The reform of Sudan’s banking system particularly the country’s anti-money laundering regulations is also one of the issues that Washington wants Khartoum to address.

Some views within the U.S. administration remain reluctant to approving the rescission of Sudan’s designation as they fear it will embolden the military to take over from civilians.

(ST)