US envoy confirms backdown on Darfur peace force

Nov 4, 2006 (WASHINGTON) — In a major policy reversal, Washington’s special envoy for Darfur has confirmed the United States is backing away from demands for deployment of a UN peacekeeping force to the war-torn region of Sudan.

Andrew Natsios, President George W. Bush’s personal envoy to Sudan, said Washington and other Western governments were looking for an “alternate way” to deal with the violence which has left at least 200,000 people dead and 2.5 million homeless in Darfur.

It was the first public acknowledgement that the United States was reconsidering its backing for a August 31 UN Security Council resolution it sponsored demanding the deployment of some 20,000 UN peacekeepers to halt what Washington has described as genodice in Darfur.

Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir has rejected the United Nations demand and refused to meet with Natsios during a visit to Khartoum last week, the US envoy said in an interview with the National Holocaust Memorial which was posted on the memorial’s website on Friday.

Natsios said Beshir was furious over Bush’s renewal this week of US financial sanctions imposed on Sudan for its involvement in the Darfur violence and alleged support for international terrorists.

The UN adopted its resolution in July mandating the deployment of some UN peacekeepers to replace an under-funded African Union force in Darfur that has failed to halt the violence.

Beshir has instead insisted that the African Union mission, over which it has more influence, be reinforced.

(AFP)