The Sudanese foreign ministry on Tuesday issued a statement saying it had learned “with astonishment” of spokesman Haidar Badawi Sadiq announcement that his country was looking forward to a peace agreement with Israel (Sudan: We Are Looking Forward to a Peace Agreement with Israel).
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not discuss the relations with Israel,” Sudan’s acting Foreign Minister Omer Gamar-Eddin said in a statement, probably because, according to Al-Jazeera, Sadiq was let go shortly after his praises for the UAE and Israel, coupled with his expression of desire for an Israel-Sudan follow-up.
The spokesman’s statement was first reported by Sky News Arabia on Tuesday night, and then carried by the gushing world media. So much so, that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released an official tweet, Menorah symbol and all, declaring: “Pursuant to his Feb 3 meeting with Sovereignty Council of Sudan Chairman Abdel Fattah al Burhan, PM Netanyahu welcomes the position of the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, which reflects the brave decision of the Chairman to work toward advancing relations between the two countries.”
Pursuant to his Feb 3 meeting with Sovereignty Council of Sudan Chairman Abdel Fattah al Burhan, PM Netanyahu welcomes the position of the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, which reflects the brave decision of the Chairman to work toward advancing relations between the two countries.
— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM)
The PM announced, also on Tuesday night: “Israel, Sudan and the entire region will benefit from the peace agreement and will be able – together – to build a better future for all peoples of the region. We will do whatever is necessary to turn vision into reality.”
All of which turned out to be too much gushing for the Sudanese government, which tweeted a hurried denial, saying: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Sudan confirms that the issue of relations with Israel was not discussed in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in any way, and Ambassador Haydar Badawi (Sadig) was not assigned to make any statements in this regard.”
Back in February, Abdel Fattah al Burhan made the mistake of publicly confirming his meeting with Netanyahu, prompting Sudanese protesters to hit the streets to express their rage.