Sudan slammed the United States for its planned sanctions against Khartoum, accusing it of trying to pressure the government in peace talks and of bias toward the southern rebel movement. The US Treasury Department's decision to block the financial assets of 12 Sudanese firms and President George W. Bush's signing Monday of a congressional Sudan Peace Act were designed "to exert the highest possible pressure" on the government, said Foreign Minister Mustafa Ismail.
He told journalists that most of the companies in the US blacklist were "non-existent".

The others had "strict instructions (from the Sudanese government) not to deal in the (US) dollar and to switch to the euro and, moreover, they have no assets in the US market to be blocked."

He said the Sudan Peace Act, which he branded a "Sudan War Act", was in its original form worse than the signed one.

An earlier version, according to Ismail, provided for the sanctions to be imposed after three months, instead of the six-month period set by the current resolution.

Ismail warned that Sudan "should be cautious and vigilant towards American interference and to what extent this interference will be negative in the peace process.

"If the American administration, by taking these steps, intends to send us a message of pressure and intimidation, such a message will be useless and will not help in the peace process but will, rather, hinder that process."

On the assets freeze, State Finance Minister Ahmed Majzoub Ahmed said in an interview with official Radio Omdurman that the decision was "a result of pressure by groups hostile to Sudan".

The Khartoum government will approach international institutions "for preserving Sudanese rights," he said.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control, an arm of the US Treasury Department, blacklisted the Sudan National Broadcasting Corp., Sudan Radio and TV Corp., and Sudan TV Corp, all based in Omdurman.

Others were Coptrade Eng and Automobile Services, National Cigarettes Co., National Electricity Corp., Posts and Telegraphs Corp., Sudan Tea Co., Sudanese Free Zones and Markets Co., Sudanese Petroleum Corp., Sugar and Distilling Industry Corp., and SFZ, all based in Khartoum.

No reason was given for the decision, which came as Bush signed legislation calling for sanctions on Sudan if he finds Khartoum is not negotiating in good faith with southern rebels to end a 19-year civil war.

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Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Ismail, the United States for its planned sanctions against Khartoum, accusing it of trying to pressure the government in peace talks and of bias toward the southern rebel movement.