US official discusses preparation of second phase of dialogue with Sudan

Sudanese and a US officials discussed, Thursday, ongoing work to prepare for the second phase of the dialogue between the two countries to remove Khartoum from the list of terrorism. According to a statement issued by the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abdul Ghani Al-Naim, and the spokesperson from the Office of the US envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, Andrew Burnett, discussed the file during a meeting in Khartoum.

The statement did not mention when Burnett would arrive or the duration of his visit.

It said that the meeting “discussed aspects of bilateral cooperation between Sudan and the United States in the previous five tracks, and the work done in preparation for the second phase of constructive engagement.”

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Al-Naim stressed the importance of achieving concrete progress that would positively affect the lives of citizens, such as the flow of financial transfers and overcoming the obstacles that still hinder trade exchange.

The statement quoted the Burnett as saying: “He praised” the cooperation shown by Sudan in relation to the second phase, “especially the roundtable on interfaith dialogue, the North Korean file and its positive efforts to support the restoration of stability in the Republic of South Sudan.”

On 6 October, 2017, Washington lifted economic sanctions on Sudan that were imposed since 1997 following progress in the dialogue between the two sides.

The dialogue involves five axes, including Sudan’s cooperation with Washington in combating terrorism, contributing to peace in southern Sudan and the humanitarian issue of delivering aid to those affected by armed conflict in Sudan.