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Jeremy
J's Guy
Joined: 03 Oct 2002
Posts: 7823
Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
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 Sat Jul 24, 2004 9:14 am British Troups "Ready to go to Sudan" |
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| AOL News wrote: | Britain could send 5,000 troops to Sudan to help ease the humanitarian crisis, the Army's most senior general has said.
Chief of General Staff Sir Mike Jackson dismissed concerns the Army was already too stretched to send forces to the African state. General Jackson told the BBC: "I suspect we could put a brigade together very quickly indeed."
Prime Minister Tony Blair has not ruled out sending UK forces to Sudan.
Pro-government Arab militias have forced more than one million black Africans from their homes in Darfur.
Efforts are ongoing to agree a UN Security Council resolution urging the Sudanese government to curb the conflict, which the US Congress has labelled as "genocide".
General Jackson's comments that a brigade (5,000 soldiers) could be found for Sudan comes as the government announced this week that 20,000 posts are to be axed across the Armed Forces.
The Army is to lose four infantry battalions but General Sir Mike denied it would be left overstretched and unable to mount operations in places like Sudan.
He told the BBC's Hardtalk programme: "The Army is there to be used and it will have to go over its guidelines when the pressure is on."
He accepted some equipment was in short supply in Iraq, due to "the speed at which things had to be done".
The Prime Minister told reporters on Thursday he had not ruled out sending the Army to the Sudan but the "critical thing" in the short-term was to try and make the current international strategy work.
International Development Secretary Hilary Benn has defended the government's handling of the crisis and said the UK was the largest financial donor.
He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme the Sudan government was in denial about what was happening and the UK was leading international pressure on them.
He said: "We have made it very clear to the government of Sudan that if they don't act to bring these attacks to an end, further consequences will indeed follow."
Mr Benn added: "The UK has done as much, if not more, than any other nation in the world."
But the Liberal Democrats want an EU-led force to intervene, under a UN mandate.
Foreign affairs spokesman, Sir Menzies Campbell, has written to Foreign Secretary Jack Straw saying food aid and diplomatic pressure is not enough.
He said: "With US and British forces stretched to breaking point, countries such as France and Germany have the opportunity to make a significant contribution.
An Oxfam aid flight with 30 tonnes of water and sanitation equipment was due to leave on Friday night, but is set to be delayed until Sunday. |
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
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| Sat Jul 24, 2004 12:55 pm |
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| Quote: | | He said: "With US and British forces stretched to breaking point, countries such as France and Germany have the opportunity to make a significant contribution. |
Ha! In your dreams!
And I guess that America COULD send a thousand or so troops to Sudan, if we have them available, perhaps.
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Janeway7
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: 20 Feb 2004
Posts: 248
Location: Manchester England
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| Sat Jul 24, 2004 2:19 pm |
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How can a goverment justify sending troops to yet another country. When they have just axed 20,000 post with in thier force. These fools who sit behind a desk are all talk and no go.
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live life to the full each day, for tomorrow my never come.
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
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| Sat Jul 24, 2004 3:50 pm |
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| Janeway7 wrote: | | How can a goverment justify sending troops to yet another country. When they have just axed 20,000 post with in thier force. These fools who sit behind a desk are all talk and no go. |
Hey, Clinton took us to Bosnia and Kosovo. Hence we SHOULD be able to justify anything. Or is that just the Democrats?
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Jeremy
J's Guy
Joined: 03 Oct 2002
Posts: 7823
Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
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| Mon Jul 26, 2004 1:00 pm |
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I think he/she was talking about the British Government rather than the American one. I think it is really stupid. Some of the cuts were ok, but what with this reorganising the army and with the cuts to it, we are going to have almost nothing. They should think a bit. I heard the EU might be imposing restrictions on the Sudanese government. It's a bit late for that. They have known this is going to happen for months yet nothing has been done. As for the UN, it's totally useless.
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