美國將放鬆對蘇丹的經濟制裁

The Obama administration is set to lift some financial sanctions against Sudan, senior U.S. officials said Thursday.

The White House is expected to make the announcement Friday. The easing of sanctions is in response to positive actions by the Sudanese government in fighting terrorism, reducing conflict, denying safe haven to South Sudanese rebels and improving humanitarian access to people in need.

The United States first imposed sanctions on Sudan in 1997, including a trade embargo and blocking the government's assets, for human rights violations and terrorism concerns. The United States layered on more sanctions in 2006 for what it said was complicity in the violence in Darfur.

Sudanese Information Minister Ahmed Bilal, speaking with VOA's James Butty, welcomed the news of the lifting of the sanctions because, he said, they "have had a devastating impact on the country and its people." He said sanctions increased "the misery of the people" who could not leave the country to get medical treatment or import technology.

U.S. officials said the lifting of the sanctions had no bearing on Sudan's designation by the United States as a state sponsor of terrorism. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and genocide.美國高級官員星期四說，奧巴馬政府準備放鬆對蘇丹的某些經濟制裁。

白宮將於星期五正式宣佈這個決定。放鬆制裁的原因是蘇丹政府採取積極措施打擊恐怖主義，減少衝突，拒絕給南蘇丹反叛組織提供庇護，以及改善人道救援發放。

美國1997年第一次因侵犯人權和恐怖主義事宜向蘇丹實施貿易禁運和封鎖政府資產等制裁。2006年美國又因達爾富爾的暴力衝突對蘇丹增加了制裁措施。

蘇丹新聞部長阿赫麥德·比萊爾對美國之音表示，蘇丹歡迎美國放鬆制裁的消息，他說這些制裁對於蘇丹以及蘇丹人民：“造成了災難性的影響”，增加了人們的痛苦，讓他們無法出國治病或是儘快高科技產品。

美國官員說，放鬆制裁不影響美國把蘇丹列爲支持恐怖主義的國家。蘇丹總統巴希爾由於戰爭罪和種族滅絕而受到國際刑事法庭通緝。