Saudi persuade Sudan to talk to US about lifting sanctions

Sudan has pledged to restart negotiations with the United States over sanctions relief at the insistence of Saudi Arabia, the official Sudanese news agency (SUNA) revealed yesterday.

The announcement came following the visit by Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir to Riyadh where he held talks with the Saudi head of state, King Salman.

It is understood that the two leaders discussed the continuing rift between the three Gulf countries and Egypt with Qatar and spoke about the US president’s move last Tuesday to delayed the permanent lifting of sanction imposed against Sudan for three months until 12th October.

According to the statement by the Sudanese presidency, Khartoum would comply to the Kingdom’s request. The statement reads: "In response to the request of the leadership of Saudi Arabia, President Omar al-Bashir agreed to continue to communicate positively with the government and the official offices of the United States in the coming period in order to lift the final sanctions imposed on Sudan as well as remove the name of Sudan off the list of countries sponsoring terrorism and resolve all the existing problems between the two countries.

"Last Wednesday, angered by Washington’s decision to delay the lifting of sanctions, President Omar Al-Bashir suspended the United States-Sudanese negotiation committee designed to review the progress made by Sudan towards fulfilling the requirements for sanctions to be lifted. The statement added, without making a direct reference to the accusation against Qatar, that the two sides stressed the importance of combating and financing terrorism and extremism viewed as one of the greatest threats to peaceful societies throughout the world.

Sudan has not joined the boycott and siege of Qatar preferring to observe a "neutral stance” in support of the mediation being offered by the Kuwaiti head of state.