Sudan's al-Bashir convinced Trump'll be 'much easier to deal with'

Sudan’s President, Omar al-Bashir, has praised President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, who he describes as a person with a clear line as compared to others who are double-faced.

Al-Bashir says he was convinced that it will be “much easier” to deal with Trump who is a business person who always considered the interests of people he deals with. The Sudanese leader was speaking to an Emirati media outfit, the al-Khaleej newspaper.

“I am convinced that it will be much easier to deal with Trump than with others because he is a straightforward person and a businessman who considers the interests of those who deal with him,’‘ Mr Bashir is quoted to have said.

Mr Trump “focuses on the interests of the American citizen, as opposed to those who talk about democracy, human rights and transparency’‘, Mr Bashir added.

President Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and genocide charges and in September last year, Bashir was refused a visa to attend the UN General Assembly due to the ICC arrest warrant. He has repeatedly denied the ICC charges.

After the November 8 electoral victory of Donald Trump, the Sudanese government expressed readiness to resume dialogue with the US over the lifting of economic sanctions imposed on the country since 1997.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Ismail told the Sudan Tribune portal that the resumption of talks is aimed at reaching an agreement to “establish relations based on mutual respect and common interests.”

All of Sudan’s assets in the United States have been frozen and in October, President Barack Obama extended the sanctions on Sudan for another year, saying Khartoum’s policies remained an “extraordinary threat” to the national security of the United States.

The United States was involved in the agreement between Sudan and South Sudan for the latter’s independence in 2011, yet it failed to the lift the sanctions as expected by Sudan.