Intel: Congress throws Sudan-Israel normalization deal lifeline
Sudan is to get $700 million in assistance and $230 million in preliminary debt relief, but 9/11 victims can continue their lawsuit against Khartoum.
The US Congress passed a spending package on Monday that may give new life to the administration’s initiative to convince Sudan’s leaders to formally establish diplomatic ties with Israel.
Monday’s omnibus bill included $700 million in assistance and $230 million in debt relief for Sudan and, if signed into law, would restore the country’s sovereign immunity to certain terror lawsuits in US courts.
The bill also enshrines Sudan’s payment of $335 million toward settlements for the families of the 1998 US Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, as well as the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000 — all done by al-Qaeda, whose former leader Osama bin Laden was sheltered by the previous regime in Khartoum until 1996.
Why it matters: Congress’ passage of a so-called “legal peace” resolution for Sudan is central to an agreement with the country’s interim leaders over restoring US-Sudanese relations. As part of the talks, Sudan’s leaders sought assurances of their government’s immunity from future lawsuits in US courts.
