KHARTOUM: Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has said that normalising ties with Israel is a “complicated” issue needing wide debate within society, media reported on Sunday.

Earlier this month, Israel signed US-brokered deals to normalise ties with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

The administration of US President Donald Trump wants Sudan to follow suit, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Khartoum in August to push a deal.

On Saturday, Hamdok was questioned by reporters on the two issues of lifting US sanctions and normalising ties with Washington’s key ally Israel.

“We spoke with the US Secretary of State and told him `let us separate the two tracks’,” Hamdok said, speaking on the sidelines of an economic conference in Khartoum.

“We hope for success in this matter,” he added.

Sudan has been technically at war with Israel for decades.

Hamdok heads the transitional government, which came to power a year ago after president Omar al-Bashir was ousted, bringing together old rivals into a fragile coalition.

“This is an issue that has many other complications,” Hamdok said. “It requires a deep discussion within our society.”

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2020