Noting UAE Decision, Sudan Eyes Ties with Israel

A top Sudanese diplomat says his country would like to sign a peace agreement with Israel. Haidar Badawi Sadiq, spokesman for Sudan’s Foreign Ministry, told Sky News Arabia on Tuesday that there was “no reason to continue hostility” between the two countries. “We don’t deny that there are communications,” he added. He also praised last week’s agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates to work toward normalizing ties, calling the move “bold and courageous” and adding that it “charts the right course for the rest of the Arab countries.” Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met with Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of Sudan’s transitional government, during a February trip to Uganda, where they both spoke glowingly of normalization. Word of their meeting came only after it was over. Nevertheless, Sudan’s acting foreign minister, Omar Qama al-Din, on Tuesday expressed reservations and said he listened to Sadiq’s words “with astonishment,” adding that there had been no discussions at the ministry of pursuing relations with the Jewish state.