MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th October, 2020) The European Union considers Washington's readiness to exclude Sudan from its State Sponsors of Terrorism list to be an important step that will allow Khartoum to integrate into the international community, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, said on Monday.
Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump announced that the United States would take Sudan off its State Sponsors of Terrorism list after Khartoum pays $335 million to US terrorism victims and their families.
"US intention to lift the State Sponsor of Terrorism designation of #Sudan is momentous. It acknowledges the change in Sudan and @SudanPMHamdok efforts. It enhances its integration into international community and access to world economy. EU fully supports Sudan transition," Borrell wrote on Twitter.
Sudan was placed on the US State Sponsors of Terrorism list back in 1993 as it sheltered Osama bin Laden for nearly five years at a time when the leader of Al-Qaeda (a terrorist organization banned in Russia) was involved in attacks on targets in the United States. In 1997, Washington introduced sanctions against Khartoum that limited the ability of Sudanese banks to work with foreign partners.
A breakthrough in relations between the US and Sudan was achieved in August 2019, as the sides began negotiations on removing the latter from the list of states supporting terrorism. The improvement was due to the fact that the African nation established the Sovereign Council, officially dissolving the Transitional Military Council, which came to power after former President Omar Bashir was overthrown in April.
