Washington considers diplomatic presence in Khartoum

The US special envoy to Sudan, Harry Johnston, is due to visit Khartoum on Saturday with a view to “looking into the possibility of maintaining a rotational presence in the (US) embassy there,” AFP reported. The move would not involve a full reopening of the mission or normalisation of relations with Sudan, but had value as a “symbol of a possible thaw in relations between the two countries”, the report stated. American diplomats who deal with Sudan are currently based in Nairobi but Johnston’s visit would contribute to an assessment of “whether conditions now permit rotating, nearly continuous presence by US personnel in Khartoum,” AFP quoted State Department Spokesman James Rubin as saying.