General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan
General Abdel Fattah al-BurhanReuters

The head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council, Lt. Gen. Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, told the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper in an interview published on Friday that his February 3 meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Uganda came “within the framework of Sudan’s search for national and security interests.”

“During the meeting that took place in Entebbe, Uganda, we stressed the role of the Israeli side in supporting Sudan with regards to the list of state sponsors of terrorism,” Burhan said.

He added that ongoing contacts, “which are greatly welcome in Sudan”, will not be interrupted.

Burhan said he would work to achieve his country’s interests, adding that the executive council would manage upcoming communication and handle diplomatic relations once established.

He added that a small committee would be formed to follow up on the matter, stressing that the normalization of relations between Sudan and Israel was receiving broad popular support.

Working for Sudan’s best interest “is widely supported, while only a specific number of ideological groups oppose it,” he emphasized.

Sudanese top brass last week backed Burhan's initiative in holding the meeting with Netanyahu, saying it will help boost national security.

Burhan told a local newspaper last week that he sat and ate with Netanyahu and that they even served food to one another.

"I felt comfortable with Netanyahu, we ate together. I gave him bread and he gave me meat. We ate from the same plate. Netanyahu laughed when I gave him the bread,” he recalled.

While Netanyahu’s office said after the meeting that the two leaders had agreed to cooperate towards normalizing ties, Sudan's cabinet later said that Burhan had made no promise to Netanyahu of "normalizing ties" between the two countries.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)