Sudan's prime minister said on Friday he had held useful talks with U.S. officials while at the United Nations, and expressed hope Khartoum could reach an agreement to be removed from Washington's state-sponsored terrorism list "very soon."

Hopeful of de-listing

Abdalla Hamdok, an economist, was appointed in August as leader of a transition government, vowing to stabilize the country and repair an economy battered by years of U.S. sanctions and government mismanagement during Omar al-Bashir’s 30-year rule.

But Sudan has so far been unable to tap the International Monetary Fund and World Bank for support because the United States still lists the country as a state sponsor of terrorism.

"We had a very useful discussion on the issue of state-sponsored terrorism," Hamdok told reporters. "We hope as we move forward we will be able to conclude very soon an agreement that would allow Sudan to be delisted."

A senior U.S. official said in August that Washington would test the commitment of Sudan's new transitional government to human rights, freedom of speech and humanitarian access before it agrees to remove the country from a list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Guterres backs Sudan

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed support at the Sudan event, held on the sidelines of the General Assembly, for Hamdok’s efforts.

He called for the immediate removal of “Sudan’s designation as a terrorist-supporting state and lifting all economic sanctions and mobilizing massive financial support for development to make the current political gains durable.”

What's happening in Sudan?

Shortages of bread, fuel and medicine coupled with hefty price rises sparked protests that led to the toppling of longtime ruler Bashir in April.

But the transitional government will need U.S. support to address debt issues and attract investment. It will launch a nine-month economic rescue plan in October aimed at curbing rampant inflation while ensuring supplies of basic goods. It is also asking the World Bank for 2 billion U.S. dollars.

Why was Sudan listed?

Sudan was designated a state sponsor of terrorism in 1993 under then-U.S. president Bill Clinton, cutting it off from financial markets and strangling its economy, over allegations that Bashir's Islamist government was supporting terrorism, notably attacks in Kenya and Tanzania.

Washington lifted a 20-year trade embargo against Sudan in 2017 and was in the process of discussions on removing it from the U.S. list when the military stepped in on April 11 to depose Bashir.

The Trump administration suspended talks on normalizing relations with Sudan and demanded that the military hand power to a civilian government.