Sudan agrees to release U.S. journalist detained in Darfur: spokesman

Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir agreed on Friday to release American journalist Paul Salopek who was detained in the country's western region of Darfur last month.

Mahjoub Fadl Badri, spokesman of the Presidential Palace, announced that President al-Bashir took the decision following mediation efforts made by the visiting U.S. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson.

According to the announcement, Salopek's driver and interpreter, who are both Chadian citizens, will also be released. The three persons are to be picked up by Richardson in the northern Darfur city of al-Fashir on Saturday.

During his meeting with Richardson, President al-Bashir also asked the U.S. to release the Sudanese detainees imprisoned in Guantanamo, the official Sudanese News Agency reported.

"We agree to release the American journalist only for the humanitarian reason and we hope that the U.S. administration will respond to the calls of the families of the Sudanese detainees in Guantanamo for the same reason," al-Bashir was quoted as saying to Richardson.

According to a spokesman of the New Mexico governor, Salopek's wife, Linda, had also traveled with Richardson to Sudan to help secure her husband's release.

Salopek, who has a home in New Mexico, was on assignment for National Geographic magazine when he was arrested last month and charged with espionage, passing information illegally, writing " false news" and entering Sudan without a visa.

In 2001, Salopek won a Pulitzer for international reporting for his work covering Africa. In 1998, he won a Pulitzer for explanatory reporting for his coverage of the Human Genome Diversity Project.

Source: Xinhua