US official arrives in post-sanctions Sudan for talks

By Mohammed Amin

KHARTOUM, Sudan

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan arrived in Khartoum on Thursday as part of a regional tour that will also bring him to Tunisia and Nigeria.

The visit is the first of its kind for a senior U.S. official since Washington lifted longstanding economic sanctions on Sudan last month.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour, Sullivan said the two countries were in the process of discussing means of normalizing bilateral relations.

“We are looking forward to expanding our relationship and have discussed a number of areas in which we must work together with a view to maintaining the positive momentum achieved in the last 16 months,” Sullivan said.

In a press statement issued before Sullivan’s arrival, the U.S. State Department said Sudan’s relations with North Korea -- along with its human rights record -- would likely top the agenda of talks.

Ghandour, for his part, said Khartoum was looking forward to “fully normalized” relations with Washington.

“Lifting the sanctions was the first step,” he said. “But it’s crucial that we continue to move forward in order to reach the final destination: fully normalized relations.”

Although the U.S. recently lifted the decades-old sanctions, Sudan still remains on its list of countries accused of sponsoring terrorism.