Sudan's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday it was astonished by remarks made by its own spokesman in which he said Khartoum had "contacts" with Israel, stressing that the government had not discussed the possibility of diplomatic relations.
Haidar Badawi al-Sadiq told Sky News Arabia that Sudan "looks forward to a peace agreement with Israel. There is no reason for the continuation of hostility between Sudan and Israel. We do not deny the existence of contacts between the two countries."
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He further praised the United Arab Emirates' decision to normalize relations with Israel as "a brave and bold step."
In February, Israeli officials said Israel and Sudan had agreed to move towards forging normal relations for the first time during a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of Sudan's military-led, transitional sovereign council, in Uganda.
Netanyahu welcomed Sadig's remarks, saying on Twitter: "Israel, Sudan and the entire region will benefit from the peace agreement [with the UAE], and together can build a better future for all people in the region. We will do whatever is necessary to turn this vision into reality."
Prime Minister Netanyahu:
"Israel, Sudan and the entire region will benefit from the peace agreement and will be able – together – to build a better future for all peoples of the region. We will do whatever is necessary to turn vision into reality."— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) August 18, 2020
But later on Tuesday, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it had learned of Sadig's comments "with astonishment."
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Sudan confirms that the issue of relations with Israel was not discussed in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in any way, and Ambassador Haydar Badawi [Sadig] was not assigned to make any statements in this regard."
On Wednesday morning, Arab media reported that Sadiq was fired over the statement.
Back in February, Burhan confirmed the meeting with Netanyahu but cast doubt on any rapid normalization of ties, saying Sudan's stance on the Palestinian issue remains unchanged, and that relations between the two countries was the responsibility of the civilian cabinet in Khartoum.
He said that any normalization of relations with Israel would not be at the expense of "Sudan's moral values and independence" and would be "according to Sudan's interests. We will not accept unequal relations with Israel."
Israel says it expects other Gulf Arab countries and Muslim nations in Africa to follow in normalizing ties after its breakthrough with the UAE.
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