French Cooperation Minister Charles Josselin arrived late Tuesday in Khartoum, to hold talks with President Umar Al Bashir and Vice President Moses Machar on the global anti-terrorism campaign and bilateral relations.
Josselin was quoted as saying upon arrival that Sudan's position regarding of the anti-terrorism campaign terrorism was "clear,” noting that such warm support would “strengthen” the country's ties with France and the European Union.
The French diplomat said that the visit “is meant to encourage the process of national reconciliation and dialogue with the opposition, initiated for two years by the regime, as well as Sudan's cooperation in the fight against terrorism.”
AFP quoted the French minister as saying that Sudan's relations with France and the European Union "have remarkably improved in the past years" and that the European Union "has begun to understand Sudan better than before," the agency reported.
Josselin is the first Western diplomat to visit Khartoum since the UN lifted sanctions against Sudan imposed in 1996 in connection with a failed assassination bid on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in June 1995.
Sudan has pledged its cooperation in the fight against terrorism and has been praised by the United States in the wake of the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington – Albawaba.com
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