Britain pledges help to Sudan over foreign debt

The British government pledged to help Sudan on Monday to address the problem of its foreign debt, Ambassador Michael Aaron said in Khartoum. According to the Egyptian news website Masralarabia.com, Aaron met with the State Minister at the Sudanese Finance Ministry, Majdi Yassin, to discuss the issue.

The ambassador told a press conference that Britain is ready to offer the needed technical assistance for Sudan in support for its efforts to be clear of debt. He also pledged to raise the needs of various Sudanese institutions with relevant parties in the UK to see how they can help.

Meanwhile, Yassin stressed the importance of promoting economic cooperation between his country and Britain, especially now that US sanctions on Sudan have been lifted.

Sudan’s total foreign debt stands at $47 billion, said the finance ministry in Khartoum. Exemption from repayments has so far been impossible for political reasons. Nevertheless, it insisted that it would commit to the technical obligations required for possible exemption by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Sudan expects economic growth following the lifting of US sanctions, which have been in place for 20 years, under the pretext of Sudan’s “sponsorship of terrorism”. The sanctions were tightened in 2005 and 2006 due to the war in Darfur.