Sudan’s Bashir will not attend American-Islamic summit: official report

[Elisabeth Janaina]

Sudan’s Bashir will not attend American-Islamic summit: official report

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Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir (AFP Photo/ASHRAF SHAZLY)
May 19, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan’s President Omer al-Bsashir will not
take part in the two-day Arab Islamic American Summit, said Khartoum
on Friday ending speculations about his unwanted participation by the
United States.

On Friday morning the official news agency SUNA, has announced in a
laconic statement that al-Bashir will not participate in the meeting
due to personal reasons without further details.

"The President of the Republic, Marshal Omer Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir
has apologised to his brother the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
King Salman bin Abdul Aziz for attending the Islamic American Summit
held in the Saudi capital Riyadh for special reasons," SUNA said.

It further said Bashir has assigned the Director of his office and
Minister of State at the Presidency Taha al-Hussein, to represent him
at the summit

The official organ further pointed that the president had received an
invitation for the summit handed over by a special envoy.

U.S. officials expressed their displeasure with the presence of Bashir
at the summit and urged the host country to not invite him.

But Saudi and Sudanese diplomats including foreign minister Ibrahim
Ghandour insisted that Bashir was invited and he would travel to
Riyadh for the meeting which gathers over 50 heads of state and
government.

The row over Bashir’s participation in the summit cast doubts over the
recent improvement of bilateral relations between Khartoum and
Washington.

Also, Sudanese officials were optimistic about the definitive lift of
sanctions, but observers now say in the best cases it would be delayed
for additional six month period.

In a press release on Wednesday, the U.S. embassy in Khartoum
explained Washington’s rejection of al-Bashir’s participation in the
meeting attended by President Trump, saying “we oppose invitations,
facilitation, or support for travel by any person subject to
outstanding International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants,
including President Bashir”.

(ST)