Clinton Sanctions on Sudan

The United States has imposed new economic sanctions on Sudan -- a country which it accuses of supporting terrorism.

President Clinton signed an order banning bank loans to Sudan, and allowing the seizure of Sudanese assets in the United States.

The shipment of American technology is also prohibited, as are Sudanese imports into the United States.

Announcing the sanctions, the US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, said Sudan had what she called an abysmal record on human rights and religious persecution.

But in Khartoum, a leading parliamentarian, Aziz Shiddo called the American decision one-sided, groundless and unfair.

The United States first imposed unilateral sanctions in November last year, after failing to win backing from the UN Security Council for a partial air embargo on Sudan.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service