7/11/2017

STATE/SUDAN/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The Trump administration said Tuesday [7-11-7] it is delaying a decision on whether to lift sanctions on Sudan by three months.
The administration faced a July 12 deadline to decide if sanctions relief initiated by the Obama administration in January would become permanent.
‘The United States will revoke the sanctions if the [Government of Sudan] is assessed to have sustained progress in these areas at the end of the extended review period,’ State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said…
Under a directive signed by former President Barack Obama in January, the U.S. moved to lift a trade embargo and unblock Sudanese government assets that were frozen in earlier sanctions against the country and its leaders.
Sudan remains on a U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism and continues to face sanctions related to a long-running conflict in the country’s Darfur region and to alleged terrorism-related activities.
The Trump administration was supposed to certify if the Sudanese government had maintained progress in counterterrorism cooperation, preserved a cease-fire, reduced offensive military action and improved humanitarian access.”

-Felicia Schwartz, “Trump Administration Delays Decision on Sudan Sanctions,” The Wall Street Journal online, July 11, 2017 08:41pm