Sudan’s ruling council on Sunday said a high-level delegation of officials will discuss the removal of the country’s name from a U.S. list of state sponsors of terror with U.S. officials during a visit to the United Arab Emirates later in the week, reported CGTN Africa.
The ruling council said General Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, head of the sovereign council that has been in charge following the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir last year, will hold talks with Emirati and US officials on all regional issues.
It added that Sudanese Justice Minister Naser-Eddin Abdelbari will have talks with US officials in Abu Dhabi to discuss the removal of Sudan’s name from the list of states sponsoring terrorism, support of the transitional period, and writing off American debts on the country.
The US added Sudan’s name to the list of states sponsoring terrorism in 1993 due to its support for Islamist militants including Osama Bin Laden, who lived in the country for five years.
Sudan’s transitional government has been pushing to get off the country’s name from the list, as it hinders its ability to access foreign loans to tackle an economic crisis.
As per reports, the US, Emirati and Sudanese officials would hold a decisive meeting in Abu Dhabi on a possible normalization agreement between Sudan and Israel. The talks will be similar to the US-brokered deals struck by the UAE and Bahrain in recent weeks.
In August during a visit to Sudan, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised the issue of Sudan-Israel relationship. Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok told him he had no mandate to do so and such a move could be decided after the end of the transitional period and the holding of elections, planned for 2022.
According to the Axios website, the ruling council is also seeking “a commitment” by the US and UAE to provide Sudan with economic aid over the next three years.
