Sudan ruling council hails ties with Riyadh, Abu Dhabi

<p>By Bahram Abdel-Moneim</p> <p>KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) – Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of Sudan’s ruling Military Transitional Council (MTC), has praised his country’s “distinctive” relations with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.</p> <p>Burhan made the remarks at a Wednesday meeting with members of a joint Saudi/Emirati delegation at Defense Ministry headquarters in the capital Khartoum.</p> <p>According to a subsequent statement released by the MTC, the delegation “delivered a message of greetings from the leaders of these two brotherly countries, who expressed their readiness to support Sudan and its people at this critical period”.</p> <p>Members of the joint delegation, who arrived in Khartoum on Tuesday for a two-day visit, also met with MTC deputy leader Mohamed Daglo.</p> <p>Last week, President Omar al-Bashir was ousted by the Sudanese army following months of popular protests against his 30-year rule.</p> <p>The MTC now plans to run the nation’s affairs for a two-year transitional period during which presidential elections will eventually be held.</p> <p>*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat</p>