based Al-Watan newspaper said the statement of the US envoy to Sudan in which he reiterated the keenness of Washington on building friendly relations with Khartoum constitutes a remarkable change in the American policy towards Sudan. The daily believes that normalization of relations between Khartoum and Washington will have a positive impact on Darfur problem and the implementation of the peace agreement concluded between North and South Sudan. The envoy has made it clear that he has come to Khartoum without any preconceived ideas to bring about a settlement of the Darfur crisis. "This development has provided clear evidence that the US administration has realized that the policy of putting pressure on Khartoum has proved its fruitlessness; on the contrary it has harmed the Sudanese people directly due to the sanctions imposed on Sudan. It is high time for Khartoum to shake hands with Washington and work for realizing several goals including over passing the arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar Al-Basheer.
