Sudan criticised the renewal of economic sanctions by "mediator" US on Khartoum on Sunday, saying the move ran counter to Washington's role to mediate between north Sudan and the country's semi-autonomous south.

"America claims it works as a mediator and is playing a positive role in solving Sudan's problems, and at the same time it renews its sanctions against us," Mustapha Ismail, an advisor to President Omar al-Beshir, told reporters in Cairo.

US President Barack Obama renewed the sanctions on Tuesday, a week after unveiling a "new" policy toward the Khartoum government.

The sanctions restrict US trade with and investment in Sudan, freeze Sudanese government assets in the United States, and ban transactions with individuals and entities linked to the conflict in Darfur.

On Saturday, US special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration met southern leader Salva Kiir ahead of elections due in April.

South Sudan's leader made a separatist call for citizens to vote for a split in a referendum.

However, the separatist call will add pressure to the relationship between Kiir's Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the north's dominant National Congress Party (NCP).

The south leaders had so far not gone as far as openly saying they want to split.

The bulk of Sudan's proven oil reserves are in the south, while refineries and Sudan's only port are in the north.

North Sudan is mostly Muslim while southerners are largely Christian and followers of traditional beliefs.


Agencies