Sudan vows to normalise ties with US as travel ban lifted

KHARTOUM: Sudan vowed Monday to step up efforts to normalise relations with the United States after Washington dropped the country from a list of countries facing a US travel ban.
US President Donald Trump decided to remove Sudan from the list just days ahead of an October 12 decision when he is to decide whether to permanently lift decades-old US sanctions on Khartoum.
The decision was "a positive development in the two countries' bilateral relations", the foreign ministry said in a statement.
It was a result of a "clear and long dialogue" and growing cooperation between the two countries in regional and international issues, the ministry said.
"The government of Sudan will carry out more efforts to remove all obstacles to a full normalisation of relations with the American administration," it said.
Sudan was one of six Muslim-majority countries on the original list, and Trump on Sunday ordered it to be dropped as he issued a new list under which eight nations now have complete or partial blocks on travel to the United States.
Full travel bans were placed on nationals from North Korea and Chad, while restrictions for Venezuela were limited to officials from a long list of government agencies and their families.
Other countries included in the ban were Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen.
Sudan said it will monitor travellers heading to the United States from its airports.
"Sudanese authorities are professional and qualified enough to monitor who is travelling through Sudanese airports," the ministry said.
The US has recently praised Sudan's efforts in fighting terrorism, and Trump is due to decide next month whether to permanently lift sanctions imposed on Khartoum in 1997 for its alleged support of Islamist militant groups. — AFP