美国将放松对苏丹的经济制裁

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.

白宫将于星期五正式宣布这个决定。放松制裁的原因是苏丹政府采取积极措施打击恐怖主义，减少冲突，拒绝给南苏丹反叛组织提供庇护，以及改善人道救援发放。

美国1997年第一次因侵犯人权和恐怖主义事宜向苏丹实施贸易禁运和封锁政府资产等制裁。2006年美国又因达尔富尔的暴力冲突对苏丹增加了制裁措施。

苏丹新闻部长阿赫麦德·比莱尔对美国之音表示，苏丹欢迎美国放松制裁的消息，他说这些制裁对于苏丹以及苏丹人民：“造成了灾难性的影响”，增加了人们的痛苦，让他们无法出国治病或是尽快高科技产品。

美国官员说，放松制裁不影响美国把苏丹列为支持恐怖主义的国家。苏丹总统巴希尔由于战争罪和种族灭绝而受到国际刑事法庭通缉。