The state news agency in the African country has reported that the US Secretary of State will come to the bow in order to discuss normalization with the Jewish state

• US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo // Photo: AFP

The State News Agency in Sudan "Suna" announced today (Monday) that the purpose of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to Sudan tomorrow is, among other things, to discuss relations between the African state and Israel. 

The Arabic-language website of the agency reads: "The news agency has learned that the purpose of the US Secretary of State's visit to Sudan is to encourage the transition to democratic rule and discuss relations with Israel." 

Photo: Reuters

The news agency noted that this was the US Secretary of State's first visit to the country since 2004. The country hopes that Pompeo's visit will speed up the process of lifting sanctions over Khartoum, which have severely damaged the economy of the African country ruled for more than two decades by Islamist dictator Omar al-Bashir. 

Last week, relations between Israel and Sudan made headlines when Foreign Ministry spokesman Hyder Sadik Bedouin claimed in an interview with Al-Arabiya news network that his country intended to establish ties with Israel as the United Arab Emirates did. 

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"There is no reason for the continued hostility between Sudan and Israel, we will not deny the existence of contacts," said Bedouin, who clarified in an interview that Sudan and Israel would enjoy the benefits and fruits of a peace agreement between them and that the Sudanese Foreign Ministry expects talks with Israel to sign a peace agreement.

The Sudanese diplomat praised the UAE move in signing a normalization agreement with Israel, adding that it was courage and heroism that the country outlined the right path for other Arab countries. Khartoum was quick to deny the allegations, claiming that al-Bedouin was not authorized to discuss the matter at all. A day later, the speaker was fired.