Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok has revealed the formation of a joint Sudanese-US committee to follow up the removal of Sudan from the state sponsors of terrorism list.
Hamdok said in a press conference in Khartoum on Sunday that the committee representing Sudan’s transitional government under his chairmanship and the US administration aims to discuss the procedures to remove Sudan from the list.
The Prime Minister was on a five-day visit to the United States where he met with senior officials from the State Department, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Secretary of the Treasury, and heads of committees in the Senate and the House of Representatives, in addition to officials from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Hamdok explained that delisting Sudan from the state sponsors of terrorism began with the discussion of seven conditions such as religious freedoms, opening corridors to deliver relief aid to conflict areas, and defining Sudan’s relationship with North Korea.
Hamdok said his visit to Washington aimed to achieve several goals, including discussing bilateral relations between the two countries. They agreed to boost diplomatic relations by exchanging ambassadors.
Regarding the sanctions on Sudan, Hamdok indicated he discussed the matter with the US Congress and Senate, describing the talks as “fruitful”.
The Prime Minister said that Khartoum will host next week the “Friends of Sudan Conference”, with the aim of establishing a partnership with all friendly and allied states.
Hamdok announced that the compensation for the families of the victims of terrorist attacks was reduced from $11 billion to hundreds of millions. The issue is handled by a committee composed of the Attorney General, Director of General Intelligence, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced the Premier, who hoped for an agreement soon.
Hamdok gave details on Yemen, reiterating Sudan's keenness to help the country reach a political solution.
He stressed that “there is no military solution” to the conflict.
He also announced the reduction of Sudan’s troops from 15,000 to 5,000.
During his visit to Washington, Hamdok also discussed with the US Treasury Secretary the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Given its geographic location, Sudan has real interests and seeks, along with the US administration, to reach a satisfactory agreement acceptable to the three countries (Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt), concluded Hamdok.