US urged to take Sudan off its terror blacklist too

KHARTOUM: Sudan has called for Washington to take the country off its blacklist of state terror sponsors while the US said Saturday that conditions have to be “right” for holding talks with Khartoum on removing it from Washington’s blacklist of state sponsors of “terrorism.”

On Friday, Khartoum hailed Washington’s decision to end the sanctions as a “positive decision,” but expressed disappointment at not being removed from the blacklist.

Earlier Friday, Washington announced it was ending the embargo, citing improvements made by Sudan in its human rights record.

“The leaders of Sudan, the government of Sudan and the people of Sudan welcome the positive decision taken by American President Donald Trump of removing the economic sanctions completely,” the official SUNA news agency quoted a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry.

The US decision came after months of diplomatic talks between the two countries that began during the tenure of former US President Barack Obama.

The ministry said Friday’s “historic” decision will further help Sudan cooperate with the US on “issues of international peace and security, illegal immigration, human trafficking and fighting terrorism.”

Sudan is looking forward to building “a normal relation with the United States, but wants its name to be removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism as there is no reason to have Sudan in that list,” the ministry statement said. Though Washington is ending the trade embargo, it did not drop Sudan from its state terror blacklist.

US Charge d’Affaires to Khartoum Steven Koutsis said Saturday that conditions have to be “right” for holding talks with Khartoum on removing it from Washington’s blacklist of state sponsors of “terrorism,” a consistent demand by Khartoum in return for cooperating with US intelligence agencies in fighting “terrorism.”