Sudanese can't open US account

2004-10-27 11:18

Khartoum - Sudan threatened to close the United States embassy if the US administration failed to help the Sudanese mission in Washington to open a bank account, an official daily reported Wednesday.

The threat marked a new escalation in a dispute over banking problems the Sudanese mission has encountered and comes against the backdrop of mounting international pressure on Khartoum over the crisis in Darfur.

Quoted by the official Al-Anbaa daily, Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail said the government "has renewed a threat to close down the American embassy by the end of this month if the US administration fails to help the Sudanese diplomatic mission in Washington to open a banking account."

It did not explain why the embassy had no account.

Banking arrangements to diplomatic missions are "a direct responsibility of the host country and the US has failed to solve this problem for three months," Ismail said after a meeting with US Charge D'Affaires Gerard Gallucci on Tuesday.

The closure decision was due to have taken effect on Tuesday but "the American embassy asked for a few days," the minister said.

The government will "postpone taking a decision until the end of this month and, if the problem is settled, it will be fine. If not, there is no way for the Sudanese embassy to continue operating in Washington and similarly ... there is no way for the American embassy to continue operating in Khartoum."

The Sudanese embassy in Washington had already closed for several days after failing to find a bank.

The US authorities at the time had categorically denied they were trying to embarrass Sudan and said they were helping to solve the issue.

Washington has been spearheading criticism of Khartoum's responsibility in a 20-month-old civil war that which has left tens of thousands of people dead and displaced up to 1.5 million in Darfur. - AFP

- SAPA