Sudan reopens embassy in Kuwait

Sudan reopened its embassy in Kuwait, marking an official end to a nine-year rift that followed Iraq's invasion of the oil-rich emirate.
Sudan's foreign minister, Mustafa Osman Ismail, who began a three-day visit, raised his country's flag on a temporary embassy building. He also laid the cornerstone for a permanent building.
Sudan's diplomatic mission was closed after Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, which sparked the 1991 Persian Gulf War. The Kuwaiti Embassy in Sudan remained open, operated by a charge d'affaires.
Kuwait believes Sudan and several other Arab countries tilted toward Iraq during the crisis. Kuwait restored full diplomatic ties with Jordan and Yemen earlier this year after a similar hiatus.
In May 1998, Kuwait allowed a Sudanese diplomat to work in the country to look after the interests of 500 Sudanese residents. The Sudanese community numbered about 100,000 before the Iraqi invasion. Sudan was a major recipient of Kuwaiti government aid before the Gulf crisis.