U.S. urges Arab help on Darfur – Natsios

Sept 20, 2006 (WASHINGTON) — Andrew Natsios, the new U.S. special envoy for Sudan, said Wednesday the administration has begun a quiet effort to enlist Arab countries in its campaign to overcome Sudanese resistance to the deployment of 20,000 U.N. peacekeepers and police to the troubled Darfur region.

In one of his first interviews since he was appointed by President George W. Bush, Natsios told The Associated Press that U.S. contacts with Arab countries have already begun. He declined to identify the countries.

“We are engaging and we are going to continue to engage with them,” Natsios said. The initiative is based on the premise that as the humanitarian crisis in Darfur deepens, the Islamic government in Khartoum will be more receptive to pressure from fellow Arab countries than from non-Muslim countries.

The U.N. Security Council approved a resolution three weeks ago for the deployment a U.N. force, but the Sudanese government has rejected the plan.

Natsios expressed disappointment that China, a permanent member of the Security Council, has shown little willingness to lobby Sudan to accept peacekeepers. The two countries have close economic and political ties.

“The role of China cannot be overstated,” said Natsios. “They are the country with the most influence with the Sudanese government.”

With the humanitarian situation in Darfur worsening by the day, President Bush appointed Natsios as special envoy this week. Natsios was deeply involved in Darfur policy as administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, a post he held from 2001 until early this year.

The African Union agreed Wednesday to extend the mandate of its underequipped peacekeeping forces in Darfur through the end of 2006.

The United Nations and many human rights groups say that since 2003, fighting between rebels and government-backed militias in Darfur has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced 2.5 million.

(AP/ST)