Bahrain welcomes agreement to establish relations between Sudan, Israel

Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

Israel and Sudan agreed yesterday to take steps to normalise relations in a deal brokered with the help of the United States, making Khartoum the third Arab government to set aside hostilities with Israel in the last two months.

US President Donald Trump, seeking re-election on November 3, sealed the agreement in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and Transitional Council Head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, senior US officials said.
 Trump’s decision this week to remove Sudan from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism paved the way for the accord with Israel, marking a foreign policy achievement for the Republican president as he seeks a second term trailing in opinion polls behind Democratic rival Joe Biden.

“The leaders agreed to the normalization of relations between Sudan and Israel and to end the state of belligerence between their nations,” according to a joint statement issued by the three countries. Israel and Sudan plan to begin by opening economic and trade relations, with an initial focus on agriculture, the joint statement said. A senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said such issues, as formal establishment of diplomatic ties would be resolved later.

Meanwhile Bahrain today welcomed the announcement of an agreement to establish relations between the Sudan and Israel, seeing it as an additional historic step towards achieving peace, stability and prosperity in the Middle East, according to a statement by the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs commends the efforts made by the American government to facilitate reaching this agreement, which would contribute to expanding the efforts of the brotherly Sudan to achieve the aspirations of its people for security, growth and prosperity, thus spreading peace-making in the Middle East. The Ministry affirms the Kingdom of Bahrain’s support alongside the Republic of Sudan in its relentless endeavours towards further development, progress and prosperity, and to exercise its active and constructive role in the international community,” the statement added.