We will not provide financial assistance unless you pay your debts, US diplomat tells Sudanese

KHARTOUM – A senior United States diplomat said on Monday that the international community will not give Sudan financial support because it has not paid its international debts.

US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Tibor Nagy discussed the state sponsor of terrorism issue with Sudanese Foreign Minister Asma Abdallah in Khartoum as he is concluding an African tour to the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, and Sudan from January 15-29, 2020.

Speaking from Khartoum in a telephonic press briefing on Monday, Nagy had to explain several times his government policy towards Sudan and the ongoing process on Sudan’s removal from the blacklist.

The US top diplomat repeated that le removal is a process requiring to deal with many issues in reference to the sanctions on Darfur and financial compensations for victims of terror attacks which have reached over seven billion.

“We are talking about (that) more than SST. Sudan is a partner,” he said before to add ’”Negotiations are ongoing but I am optimistic”.

“There are thorny issues. We want a successful Sudan but I can’t go into technical issues but we are working it. I wish we can give a time frame,”

Later, he had to speak again about the SST role in Sudan incapacity to deal with financial international institutions (IFI), he stressed that following the lift of economic embargo on Sudan in 2017 Sudan can freely deal with these institutions.

However, he added that Sudan’s arrears block financing from international institutions.

“Sudan has considerable arrears to international institutions which prevent the IFI from giving grants and loans to Sudan,” he stressed.

The U.S. senior diplomat However did not mention that U.S. laws order its representatives at the World Bank & IMF to vote against any loans or debt relief to countries on its list of states that sponsor terrorism.

Friends of Sudan group members recently said they are willing to write off their loans to Sudan but the U.S. veto prevent them from doing so.

They further asked Trump administration to remove Sudan from the SST list to enable them to invest in the improvised country in order to support the democratic transition that Washington asked for.

On 14 January, U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs David Hale urged Sudan to pay financial compensations to family members of people killed or injured in terrorist attacks.

“The Under Secretary underscored that compensation for the victims of terrorism remains a priority for the U.S. government,” said the State Department in a statement after the meeting.