The sources said Washington has determined that Sudan was hosting both
Hamas training camps as well as military advisers from Iran's Islamic
Revolutionary Guards Corps. They said Hamas was using Sudan as a source of
weapons and
missiles for the Islamic regime in the Gaza Strip. The Hamas weapons
smuggling was said to have been facilitated by IRGC.
The sources said the administration has also offered to remove Sudan
from the State Department's list of terrorist sponsors. But the
administration
wants Khartoum to agree to cooperate with the International Criminal Court,
which
has issued a warrant for Sudanese President Omar Bashir, accused of
genocide.
At this point, Bashir has refused to cooperate with ICC. The sources
said Khartoum has dismissed the U.S. demand as interference in Sudan's
internal affairs.
Still, Sudan has welcomed what the sources termed the new U.S. approach
by Obama. The sources said Khartoum believes that Obama, unlike his
predecessor, George Bush, has sought genuine reconciliation.
The sources said Washington has been consulting with Egypt to press
Sudan to end its relations with Hamas and Iran. So far, they said, there has
not been any significant progress.
"To get Sudan away from Iran means that the United States would have to
help Sudan with defense and security," the source said. "This could prove
difficult given Sudan's human rights record."
