Khartoum rules out negative impact on bilateral dialogue of Bush's decision to renew sanctions

Sudan has ruled out that a U.S. decision to renew economic sanctions on Sudan would negatively impact a bilateral dialogue between Khartoum and Washington for improving ties, local daily Al-Sudani reported on Saturday.

The Sudanese government saw the decision by U.S. President George W. Bush coming within the framework of the U.S. election campaign and under the pressures which the Bush administration was facing from the lobby groups and the opposition Democratic Party, the report said.

In a letter to the U.S. Congress released by the White House on Wednesday, Bush announced that he had decided to "continue to maintain sanctions against Sudan."

Al-Wasila al-Samani, Minister of State of the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, told Al-Sudani newspaper that the decision of extending the U.S. sanctions on Sudan was a routine one which had been foreseen by the Sudanese government although a direct dialogue had been held between the two countries.

"The beginning of the dialogue does not mean a lift of the sanctions, but it will possibly contribute to an improvement of relations which will lead to the lift of the economic sanctions on Sudan," the Sudanese minister said.

Al-Samani noted that the dialogue would continue as long as the U.S. administration had the desire to establish relations based on mutual respect and exchange of interests.

Source: Xinhua