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Sudan Rejects Renewed US Sanctions
Sudan has rejected the U.S. decision on renewing sanctions on Khartoum, the official Sudanese News Agency reported Sunday.
Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Othman Ismail said at a cabinet meeting that Sudan has informed the U.S. administration of its stance and will brief Washington on its viewpoint at U.N. General Assembly meetings in New York next week.
Ismail termed the U.S. decision as "mistaken and unjustified," saying that "in our view, it (the decision) came in compliance with internal pressure."
At the U.N. General Assembly meetings, Sudan would deliver a speech on regional and international issues, particularly the September 11 attacks in the U.S., the ongoing U.S.-led strikes on Afghanistan, and political and economic conditions as well as peaceprocess in Sudan, Ismail added.
Sudan will not carry on dialogue to clarify its own issue before the U.S. and international community, said the minister, adding that the U.S. administration should handle diverse issues neutrally and fairly.
Ismail stressed that his country is ready to receive U.S. peace envoy in Sudan at a fixed date, but noting that "we have not received any request from the envoy to put off his visit on grounds that the current circumstances are inappropriate."
The U.S. has recently decided to extend its sanctions on Sudan for another one year, alleging that it is still concerned over human rights abuses in Sudan and its support for terrorism.
The U.S. renews the sanctions on Sudan annually since it first imposed the punitive measures against the northeastern African country in 1997.
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