Sudan denies making concession for US to remove it from terrorism list

Sudan will not make any concessions in exchange for the United States to remove Sudan from a list of countries it accuses of sponsoring terrorism, the spokesman for the Sudanese Sovereignty Council has said.

“We have not received any requirements from the US administration to remove Sudan from the list of state sponsors of terrorism,” Mohammed Al-Faki told the Anadolu Agency.

Al-Faki added that Sudanese Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdouk will talk to all circles in the US administration to reach an integrated vision to be discussed with all parties of the Sudanese government, pointing out that Sudan is a free independent state that operates for its interests.

Sudan is currently, Al-Faki explained, in urgent need to open up to the world and benefit from international institutions and global centres in order to finance projects, gain access to international research centres, in addition to work to cancel debts, which amount to more than $45 billion.

READ: Sudan looking forward to new relations with US

The matter of Sudan’s removal from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, Al-Faki said, is an important issue which was discussed by Hamdouk on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting last week.

On 6 October 2017, the Trump administration lifted economic sanctions and a trade embargo imposed on Sudan since 1997, but did not remove Sudan from US list of state sponsors of terrorism, to which it was added in 1993.