Khartoum, July 13 (SUNA) - The Government of Japan has decided to written off 28 million US dollars (around 3,165,000,000 yens) from its debts to the Sudan. This came when the Minister of Finance and National Economy, Dr. Awad Ahmed Al-Jaz, and the Japanese Ambassador to Sudan, Yuichi Ishii, signed a memorandum on the above issue at the Ministry of Finance and National Economy. In his address at the occasion, the minister thanked the Government of Japan for writing off its debts to Sudan, saying that Sudan has been waiting for the international community to cancel its debts to Sudan in accordance with its commitment to support the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). He explained that Sudan is paying its debts to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) according to the schedule in this regard for more than 10 years. He called on the Japanese companies to establish investment projects in Sudan, saying that investment is open for the Japanese businessmen in all domains, expressing hope that other countries will follow suit of the Japanese step and write off their debts to Sudan. Meanwhile, the Japanese Ambassador to Sudan, Yuichi Ishii, said his government has considered writing off Sudan's debts to Japan since the signing of the CPA according to the resolution No. 1978 of the Council of Trade and Development during the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to reduce the debts of the developing countries. He said that the written off debt was a part of loans given Sudan since the 1970s through the Japanese Bank for international Development. The ambassador expressed his hope that the sum of the cancelled debts be used in the CPA's implementation projects through Unity Support fund, saying that his country has extended 11 million dollars to Sudan in last June, as a first direct assistance to Sudan since the 1990s, in order to be used for rehabilitation of the Multi Service Centre in Torit and Juba. He said that the latest loan and the cancellation of debts reflect Japan's policy in adopting a balanced approach to support north and south Sudan. He hoped that this direct assistance to Sudan enhances the bilateral relations between Sudan and Japan and speed up the rehabilitation and development in Sudan, saying that Japan is committed to speed up the peace realization and support to Sudan. It is to be noted that Japan has extended around 390 million US dollars to Sudan sine the year 2005.
