August 24, 2020 (KHARTOUM) - U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo will arrive in Khartoum on Tuesday in a short visit to the east African country said the official news agency.

Pompeo will discuss U.S. support for the civilian-led transitional government and express support for deepening the Sudan-Israel relationship with Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and head of the Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

The Sudanese officials are expected to raise the acceleration of removing Sudan from the list of states sponsoring terrorism which is one of the main objectives of the transitional government to repair the country relations with the international financial institutions.

The visit comes within the framework of a regional tour to discuss regional security particularly "Iran’s malicious influence" and to encourage the Arab countries to Israel establish and enhance relations with Israel.

From Khartoum, the US top diplomat will fly to Manama to meet with Crown Prince of Bahrain. He will conclude his trip in the United Arab Emirates, where he will discuss with the Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan the UAE’s agreement to normalize relations with Israel and regional issues.

Israeli officials say they hope to normalize relations with Sudan soon.

On 13 August, the UAE became the first Gulf country to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, joining Egypt and Jordan which have normalized relations since long-time ago.

(ST)