By John Irish UNITEDNATIONS (Reuters) – Sudan’s prime minister said on Friday he had held useful talks with U.S. officials while at the United Nations this week, and expressed hope Khartoum could reach an agreement to be removed from Washington’s state-sponsored terrorism list “very soon.” Abdalla Hamdok, an economist, was appointed in August as leader of a transition government, vowing to stabilise the country and repair an economy battered by years of U.S. sanctions and government mismanagement during Omar al-Bashir’s 30-year rule. But Sudan has so far been unable to tap the International Monetary Fund and World Bank for support because the United States still lists the country as a state sponsor of terrorism. “Coming to the (United Nations) General Assembly provided us with a huge opportunity to meet many leaders in the American administration,” Hamdok told reporters after a high-level event to drum up support for his country at the annual gathering of world leaders. “We had a very useful discussion on the issue of state- sponsored terrorism. We hope as we move forward we will be able to conclude very soon an agreement that would allow Sudan to be delisted.” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed support at the Sudan event, held on the sidelines of the General Assembly, for Hamdok’s efforts. He called for the immediate removal of “Sudan’s designation as a terrorist-supporting state and lifting all economic sanctions and mobilizing massive financial support for development to make the current political gains durable.” Shortages of bread, fuel and… [Read full story]
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