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Khartoum, Sudan | XINHUA | Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Saturday said removing Sudan from the U.S. list of states sponsoring terrorism constitutes a priority for the transitional government.
Al-Burhan made the remarks when addressing the opening session of the first National Economic Conference, which kicked off in Khartoum on Saturday.
“Removing Sudan’s name from the list of states sponsoring terrorism will enable us to achieve reintegration in the global community, pump a renewable spirit in the national economy and reconstruct our external relations in a manner that enhances the national interest,” said al-Burhan.
He vowed to find viable solutions to the economic situation in the country.
The three-day conference aims to set up a roadmap to overcome the current economic problems. It is scheduled to discuss working papers and recommendations provided by 18 sector workshops that were recently organized in preparation of the conference.
The conference is also set to provide a platform for an open discussion on the issues of the Sudanese economy with the aim to remove the structural distortions, stop the economic deterioration, stabilize the commodities and exchange prices, stabilize the external balance and reduce budget deficit.
The Sudanese currency continues declining against foreign currencies, mainly the U.S. dollar, as the exchange rate of one U.S. dollar hit 245 Sudanese pounds in the parallel market on Saturday against the official exchange rate set by the central bank at 55 pounds.
The continued deterioration in the exchange price of the Sudanese pound has led to a significant hike in the prices of basic and essential commodities, which intensified the suffering of the citizens.
Sudan has been undergoing a dire economic crisis since the secession of South Sudan in 2011, due to which Sudan lost 75 percent of its oil revenues.
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XINHUA
