Bush extends economic sanctions

US President George Bush has extended an order imposing bilateral sanctions against Sudan, citing continued concern over the alleged activities of terrorist groups in the country. "These actions and policies are hostile to US interests and pose a continuing unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States," Bush said in a notice on Tuesday extending the order. The sanctions, originally imposed under the Clinton administration in 1997, criticise the government of Sudan, for alleged "support for international terrorism; ongoing efforts to destabilise neighbouring governments; and the prevalence of human rights violations, including slavery and the denial of religious freedom". The order imposes a trade embargo against Sudan and a total asset freeze against the government of Sudan, according to the US Department of Commerce website. Criminal penalties for violating the order range up to 10 years in jail, $500,000 in corporate, and $250,000 in individual fines. Although Washington has said the government in Khartoum has cooperated with US efforts to combat international terrorism, Sudan remains on a list of seven countries the US accuses of sponsoring terrorism. Khartoum says the US contention that it supports terrorism is erroneous, and that restrictions placed on Sudanese companies result from "pressure by groups hostile to Sudan". Bush last week signed legislation calling for additional sanctions against the Sudanese regime if it failed to act in good faith in peace talks with the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A). The legislation empowers the US administration to suspend diplomatic relations with Khartoum, to oppose loans and assistance from international financial organisations, to take steps to deny Sudan oil revenues, and to seek a UN resolution for an arms embargo against the Sudanese government.