"The No. 1 consideration in imposing stiffer sanctions is that the Sudanese government hasn't stopped the violence there and the people continue to suffer," said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council. "We certainly expect the Sudanese to continue efforts against terrorism because it's in their own interests, not just ours."
Sudan has its own interests in following the insurgency because Sudanese extremists and foreign fighters who pass through the country are likely to return and become a potentially destabilizing presence.
Sudan's lax controls on travel have made it, according to one official, a "way station" for Islamist militants not only from North Africa, but also from Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states.
Some former U.S. intelligence officials said that Sudan's help in Iraq had been of limited value, in part because the country accounts for a small fraction of the foreign fighters, mainly at lower levels of the insurgency.
"There's not going to be a Sudanese guy near the top of the Al Qaeda in Iraq leadership," said a former CIA official who operated in Baghdad. "They might have some fighters there, but that's just cannon fodder. They don't have the trust and the ability to work their way up. The guys leading Al Qaeda in Iraq are Iraqis, Jordanians and Saudis."
But others say that Sudan's contributions have been significant because Sudanese frequently occupy support positions throughout Arab society -- including in the Iraq insurgency -- giving them access to movements and supply chains.
"Every group needs weapons. Every group needs a meeting place," said another former high-ranking CIA official who oversaw intelligence gathering in Iraq. "Sudanese could get involved in the support chain or smuggling channels from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait."
A State Department official said Sudan had "provided critical information that has helped our counter-terrorism efforts around the globe," but noted that there was an inherent conflict in the relationship.
"They have done things that have saved American lives," the official said. "But the bottom line is that they are bombing their people out the wazoo [in Darfur]. Dealing with Sudan, it seems like they are always playing both ends against the middle."
The CIA declined to discuss any cooperation with Sudan.
"The agency does not, as a rule, comment on relations with foreign intelligence organizations," CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano said.
