Officials say Israel, Sudan close to peace agreement

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM - Stage set for a second diplomatic breakthrough for Israel with its Arab neighbours in a matter of days

Israel and Sudan on Tuesday said they are close to reaching a peace agreement - setting the stage for a second dramatic diplomatic breakthrough for Israel with its Arab neighbours in a matter of days.
A Sudanese Foreign Ministry official announced that his government is "looking forward to concluding a peace agreement with Israel," drawing a promise from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "do all that's needed" to wrap up a deal.
The announcements came days after Israel and the UAE announced a peace treaty.
Sky News Arabia quoted a Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying his government looked forward to a peace agreement "based on equality and Sudanese interests."
"There is no reason to continue hostility between Sudan and Israel," the spokesman, Haidar Badawi, was quoted as saying.
"We don't deny that there are communications" with Israel, he added, saying both countries would gain much from a deal.
In a statement, Netanyahu said Israel, Sudan and the entire region will benefit. "We will do all that's needed to turn this vision into a reality," he said.
After Thursday's announcement with the UAE, Netanyahu predicted that other Arab countries would soon follow suit.
In February, Netanyahu met Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the head of Sudan's transitional government, during a trip to Uganda where they pledged to pursue normalization. The meeting was held secretly and only announced after the fact.