Britain, Sudan agreed to open a new page

Britain and Sudan have agreed to open a new page in their bilateral relations, based on respect, understanding and cooperation in bilateral and international issues.

A joint statement released following a meeting between the British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook and his Sudanese counterpart, Mustafa Othman Ismael, in London on Monday night said the two sides agreed that each side will work to nominate its ambassador to the other as soon as possible.

A spokesman at the British Foreign Office said on Tuesday that Cook's meeting with the Sudanese minister broke the decision taken by the UN Security Council to impose restrictions on the moves of senior Sudanese officials in the Western states.

The Sudanese government expelled the British ambassador and his deputy in protest against the British stand which supported the August 1998 US raids against al-Shifaa factory in Khartoum.