WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met in Khartoum with Sudanese Sovereign Council Chair General Abdel Fattah el-Burhan as the Trump administration pushes for Arab nations to normalize ties with Israel, VOA reports.

State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement the two leaders discussed the “continued deepening of the Israel-Sudan bilateral relationship.”

Ortagus said they also discussed “the importance of the military’s continued support for the civilian-led transitional government and Sudan’s path toward democracy.”

Additionally, Pompeo’s schedule includes a meeting with Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, according to VOA.

Hamdok became prime minister last August after the military ousted president Omar al-Bashir following months of mounting protests against his 30-year rule.

Pompeo began his trip Monday in Israel where he said the United States will ensure Israel’s military advantage in the Middle East under any potential U.S. arms deals with the United Arab Emirates.

“The United States has a legal requirement with respect to qualitative military edge. We will continue to honor that,” said Pompeo after his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

(VOA)