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Sudan Says Has Demands before Normalizing Ties with Israel

Pompeo on an official visit to Sudan to urge more Arab countries to normalize ties with Israel, following the US-brokered Israel-UAE agreement [AFP]
Pompeo on an official visit to Sudan to urge more Arab countries to normalize ties with Israel, following the US-brokered Israel-UAE agreement [AFP]
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Sudan Says Has Demands before Normalizing Ties with Israel

Pompeo on an official visit to Sudan to urge more Arab countries to normalize ties with Israel, following the US-brokered Israel-UAE agreement [AFP]
Pompeo on an official visit to Sudan to urge more Arab countries to normalize ties with Israel, following the US-brokered Israel-UAE agreement [AFP]

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Sudan in late August ahead of the US elections as part of a regional tour to convince more Arab countries to normalize ties with Israel.

During his visit to Khartoum, Pompeo pledged to lift the country from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list, invite major US companies to invest in it and provide financial assistance if it normalizes relations with Israel, Acting Foreign Minister Omar Qamar al-Din told El Tayyar daily newspaper.

“However, Sudan demanded that the US first normalizes Sudan's relations with world countries and provide it with the necessary aid before discussing Sudanese-Israeli relations,” he noted.

The US designated Sudan a state sponsor of terrorism in 1993 over ousted President Omar al-Bashir’s ties with terrorist groups. The designation makes the country ineligible for much-needed debt relief and funding from international institutions and limits potential foreign investment.

However, the US expected that the “weak” country, which faces economic and political challenges and is struggling to return to the world order, would instantly approve the normalization request and raise President Donald Trump’s chances in the elections.

Qamar al-Din pointed out that Head of Sudan’s Sovereign Council Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan presented a list of conditions to Pompeo, who vowed to discuss them with the US and Israeli sides before giving the final response.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok told Pompeo that his government had no mandate to normalize ties with Israel, and that such move would be decided after the transitional period.

The PM also urged the US not to link the issue of lifting Sudan from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list with the normalization with Israel request.

Despite Sudan’s announced position, Israeli officials have confirmed ongoing communication between the leaders of Khartoum and Tel Aviv.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quoted by several Israeli newspapers as saying on Tuesday that Sudan, Chad and Oman will normalize relations with Israel after the UAE.

“We are having many more meetings with Arab and Muslim leaders to normalize relations, including Sudan and Oman,” he said.

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Arab World

Syria President Vows those Involved in Church Attack will Face Justice

The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP
The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP
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Syria President Vows those Involved in Church Attack will Face Justice

The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP
The attack was the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December - AFP

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed Monday that those involved in a "heinous" suicide attack on a Damascus church a day earlier would face justice, calling for unity in the country.

The shooting and suicide bombing Sunday at the church in the working-class Dwelaa district of the Syrian capital killed 25 people and wounded 63, the health ministry said, raising an earlier toll of 22 killed.

The authorities said the attacker was affiliated with the Islamic State group.

"We promise... that we will work night and day, mobilising all our specialized security agencies, to capture all those who participated in and planned this heinous crime and to bring them to justice," Sharaa said in a statement, AFP reported.

The attack "reminds us of the importance of solidarity and unity of the government and the people in facing all that threatens our nation's security and stability", he added.

Condemnation has continued to pour in from the international community after the attack -- the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since the toppling of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.

It was also the first inside a church in Syria since the country's civil war erupted in 2011, according to a monitor, in a country where security remains one of the new authorities' greatest challenges.

Since the new authorities took power, the international community has repeatedly urged the government to protect minorities and ensure their participation in Syria's transition, particularly after sectarian violence in recent months.