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From The Sudan Tribune of october 7th 2009

October 6, 2009 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir received a phone call today from Italy’s former Prime Minister Romano Prodi, Sudan state media reported.

Sudan official news agency (SUNA) said that Prodi congratulated Bashir on his recent decision to lift press pre-publication censorship.

Bashir halted a process by which officers from the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) would screen newspapers before they are printed and remove any material they deem inappropriate from a political standpoint.

The Sudanese president said while he eliminated the procedure, he warned the editor in chiefs from exceeding what he described as “red line”.

Prodi told Bashir that this step confirms what he promised to him during his visit to Khartoum a month ago on Sudan’s commitment to democratic transformation through conducting fair and free elections next year and spreading freedom that allow all political forces to complete in the April 2010 elections.

The news agency did not state in what capacity Prodi was making the call except to say that he is former Italian prime minister and ex-President of the European Commission.

Prodi paid a visit to Khartoum in early September as the President of the Foundation for World Wide Cooperation and met with Bashir.

The foundation website quoted Prodi as saying during the visit that he had a “lengthy” discussion with the Sudanese head of state.

“I have been exposed to the description of wide improvements of the situation in Sudan in terms of Democracy and Peace. The conversation with President Bashir has been thorough and open on such issues as the preparation of the political elections, the Referendum for Southern Self Determination, the peace keeping and the humanitarian assistance in Darfur,”

“I have recommended that further improvements be made in freedom of press, elections transparency, and safety of NGO activities in Darfur” he added.