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Puck
The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004
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 Fri Jul 30, 2004 9:52 am Aid Groups Criticize Draft Plan on Sudan |
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Aid Groups Criticize Draft Plan on Sudan
Friday, July 30, 2004
UNITED NATIONS � Aid groups criticized a revised U.S. draft resolution that tempered a threat of sanctions against Sudan (search) if the government doesn't act to stop atrocities in the western Darfur region (search).
The Security Council (search) planned to vote Friday on the new draft, which deleted the word "sanctions" but kept the threat of economic action against the African nation unless it disarms Arab militias blamed for killing thousands of black African farmers.
Activists said the resolution wasn't tough enough and relied too much on the Sudanese government.
"Each step of the way it seems to be getting weaker and weaker," said Iain Levine of Human Rights Watch (search), which has accused the Arab-led government of supporting the militias � a claim Sudan denies.
Janjaweed militias have killed up to 30,000 people in Darfur, most of them black Africans, and driven over 1 million from their homes in a 17-month conflict over dwindling resources.
The United States is hoping for unanimous approval, arguing the final version of the resolution maintains the threat of sanctions if not the word. France, Spain, Britain, Chile, Germany and Romania agreed to co-sponsor the resolution, giving it a boost. But Pakistan, China and Russia say Sudan needs more time to stop the killings, rapes and pillaging.
"The initial draft included the word sanctions. It turns out that the use of that word is objectionable to certain members of the Security Council," U.S. Ambassador John Danforth said. "They would rather use 'U.N.-speak' for exactly the same thing."
Officials from several delegations, speaking on condition of anonymity, but said they expect a minimum of nine "yes" votes, enough to avoid a veto. There are 15 nations on the Security Council.
The international debate came amid new reports of horror. According to an African Union monitoring team, militias "believed to be Janjaweed" chained civilians together and set them on fire earlier this month.
Pakistan's U.N. mission � an opponent to the sanctions language � was awaiting instructions from its government on how to vote but has been encouraged by Sudan's efforts to stop the violence, said a Pakistani official, who also declined to be identified.
Sudanese diplomats could not be reached for comment.
In Kuwait, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told reporters the United States wanted to make the resolution acceptable to a broader number of Security Council members.
"At the same time, everybody recognizes that pressure is needed or else we wouldn't get any action at all," Powell said.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in his native Ghana for an African summit, appealed to the Sudanese government to "abide immediately by its commitments" to protect refugees from the conflict in Darfur.
A statement from his office said Annan was "gravely concerned about reports of continuing intimidation, threats and attacks against internally displaced persons in Darfur."
The statement said "government security personnel" have been threatening internal refugees, as opposed to those who have fled to camps in the neighboring country of Chad.
One aid agency said the resolution didn't go far enough in confronting the Sudanese government and warned the international community was "perilously" close to failing in Darfur. The agency didn't want to be identified for fear of harming its work in Sudan.
The new draft resolution still calls on Sudan to disarm the Arab militias and would impose an arms embargo on individuals, groups or governments that supply the Arab militias or black African rebel groups.
It requires Annan to report every 30 days and "expresses its intention to consider further actions, including measures as provided for in Article 41 of the (U.N. Charter) on the Government of Sudan in the event of noncompliance."
While Article 41 does not authorize the use of armed force, it could be used to authorize "complete or partial interruption of economic relations ... and the severance of diplomatic relations."
The previous text had specifically threatened "the imposition of sanctions."
The Darfur conflict stems from long-standing tensions between nomadic Arab tribes and their African neighbors over water and farmland. Those tensions exploded into violence in February 2003 when two African rebel groups took up arms over what they regard as unjust treatment by the government.
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Puck
The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004
Posts: 5596
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| Fri Jul 30, 2004 9:54 am |
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 Pakistan, China and Russia can just get over it. Sudan doesn't need to be given "more time" to stop committing genocide. 
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