EU, UK applaud Sudan’s removal from US terror list

Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell have confirmed a phone call during which they discussed the recent decision by the USA to remove Sudan from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism (SST).

In a statement via social media on Wednesday, PM Hamdok said: “we also talked about the different areas of cooperation this decision opens towards consolidating and ensuring the success of our historic transition to peace and democracy.”

Also via social media, Borrell said he had phone call with Hamdok to reconfirm EU support to the swift removal of Sudan from US sanctions list.

“We also discussed progress on political and economic reforms. Sudan’s inspiring democratic transition can count on EU’s continued support,” Borrell said.

On Tuesday, SUNA reported that the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, announced that the "United States has begun the process of removing Sudan from the state sponsors of terrorism".

He also said that his country is working diligently to get Khartoum recognise Israel, but he stopped short of saying Sudan's removal from the terrorism list would be linked to whether it would agree to normalise relations with Israel.

The British Ambassador to Sudan, Irfan Siddiq, affirmed his country’s welcome to the step made by the US Administration to remove Sudan’s name from the terror list.

Siddiq tweeted: “US commitment to delist Sudan from State Sponsor of Terrorism list is hugely welcome.”

He added that “as Sudan has confirmed compensation payment has now been made, hope delisting can be completed as soon as possible. People of Sudan have suffered from this for a very long time. Hope it marks a new dawn.”

In a separate statement via the official Sudan News Agency (SUNA) today, PM Hamdok voiced enthusiasm that the removal from the SST list heralds a new start for Sudan as it re-enters the international financial community.

“Today, Sudan is returning to the global financial and banking system… this enables our citizens in the diaspora who have been eager since the outbreak of the revolution to transfer their contributions to the country in a sound and clear manner and through official institutions”, Hamdok said.

Relations with Israel

The current timing of the removal of Sudan from the terror list coincides with increasing US pressure on Sudan to normalise relations with Israel, however sources close to the government say that PM Hamdok is resolute in treating the two as separate issues.

As previously reported by Radio Dabanga, according to the independent Israeli online newspaper The Times of Israel Sudan is also negotiating with the United States an additional $3-4 billion in economic aid in exchange for normalising relations with Israel. The newspaper states that Sovereign Council chairperson Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan had talks with US and Emirati officials in September.

The article states that El Burhan turned down an $800 million offer. Most of this money was to be paid by the US and UAE, with Israel paying some $10 million.

The article also mentions that PM Hamdok once again rejected linking the removal from the SST list to ties with Israel. Hamdok had already stressed this point to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo when he visited Sudan.

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