UPDATE 1-Saudis ask U.S. to remove Sudan from terrorism list, TV reports

Saudi Arabia has asked the United States to remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, Saudi state TV said on Wednesday, citing Minister of State for African Affairs Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz Qattan. The U.S. government added Sudan to its list of state sponsors of terrorism in 1993 over allegations that then-President Omar al-Bashir's Islamist government was supporting terrorist groups.

The designation makes Sudan technically ineligible for debt relief and financing from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Congress needs to approve the removal. Bashir was toppled by the military last year. A civilian transitional government, formed in August, agreed with the United States that it could start engaging with international institutions while still on the list.

Saudi Arabia supported the overthrow of Bashir, in what analysts believed reflected its coordinated efforts with the United Arab Emirates to curtail the regional influence of the Muslim Brotherhood, who backed his regime.

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