Sudan, Qatar establish joint consultative political committee

KHARTOUM -- Sudan and Qatar have agreed to establish a joint consultative political committee to convene twice a year, said Sudan's Foreign Ministry on Sunday.

The decision was made during the meeting between Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Ibrahim Ghandour and Mohamed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister, according to a statement of the ministry.

"Ghandour welcomed the Qatari deputy prime minister and conveyed to him Sudan's appreciation to the Qatari leadership and the brotherly people of Qatar for their stances in support of Sudan," the statement read.

The statement further said the talks between the two ministers tackled mutual cooperation in different economic and political fields, especially boosting peace and development in Darfur.

"The talks dealt with development at regional and international levels as well as ways of enhancing coordination and consultation on all issues of mutual concern," the statement said.

The visiting Qatari official is expected to submit to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir a letter from Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the second letter of its kind within 10 days.

On Feb 28, the Qatari ambassador to Sudan handed over to Bashir a letter from the Qatari emir, regarding ways of boosting bilateral relations.