Khartoum affirms importance of dialogue with Washington: spokesman

Sudan affirmed on Saturday the importance of holding dialogue with the United States to promote mutual understandings instead of confrontation and threats.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol made the remarks in a meeting with visiting U.S. envoy to Sudan Andrew Natsios, Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ali Sadig told reporters.

During the meeting, Akol told Natsios that it is important to hold dialogues for improving the bilateral relations between the two countries, said Sadig.

The meeting, which lasted for an hour, touched on the humanitarian situations in Sudan's western region of Darfur and bilateral relations between Sudan and the U.S., said the spokesman.

He added that the meeting also tackled the issue of UN Security Council Resolution 1706 which calls for the deployment of international peacekeeping forces in Darfur.

The U.S. envoy arrived in Khartoum on Friday on his first visit to Sudan since he was appointed to the present post on Sept. 19, during which he would try to persuade the Sudanese government to accept the deployment of international peacekeepers in Darfur.

According to the Sudanese spokesman, the U.S. envoy told the Sudanese side that he had come to Sudan with an open mind and desire to make progress in the outstanding issues.

Natsios said that he was on a mission which could be described as a fact-finding one without carrying any specific plan or an initiative, said Sadig.

On coincidence between the U.S. envoy's visit and the decision issued by U.S. President George W. Bush on Friday to maintain sanctions on Sudan, the Sudanese spokesman expressed regret over the decision, describing it as "unjust and inopportune".

He said that the decision constituted a negative signal that would not help in promoting the understanding between the two countries.

Source: Xinhua