Sudan says ready to work with US to get off terror blacklist

KHARTOUM, Sudan — Sudan welcomes a US announcement that Washington is willing to remove Khartoum from its blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism and says it is ready to cooperate.

The US State Department Wednesday said Washington was prepared to “initiate the process of rescinding Sudan’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism” if Khartoum undertakes more reforms.

It called on Sudan to engage in further anti-terrorism cooperation and improve its human rights record, and act on outstanding claims related to terrorism as well as work to resolve internal conflicts.

The announcement came after talks Tuesday in Washington between US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan and Sudanese Foreign Minister Al-Dierdiry Ahmed.

The Sudanese foreign ministry says the talks mark the “launching of the second phase of the strategic dialogue with the United States” aimed at bolstering “bilateral cooperation” between the two countries and achieving “progress in a number of fields of mutual concern.” A statement says Sudan “welcomes” the talks.

— AFP