U.S. renews push for oil sanctions on Sudan
WASHINGTON, Feb 1, 2005 (Reuters) – The United States said on Tuesday it was renewing its push for U.N. sanctions on Sudan’s oil industry to press Khartoum to stop the violence in Darfur despite its failure to win support for the step last year.
U.S. officials hope a new U.N. report that found the Sudanese government and allied militia systematically abused civilians in Darfur would prompt U.S. Security Council members to take stronger action against Khartoum.
But they acknowledged the report failed to back the U.S. contention that Khartoum was responsible for genocide in Darfur and said Washington had yet to see any change of heart among Security Council members like China that oppose oil sanctions and refused to endorse them last year.
“The United States is now proposing to other council members a number of elements: an accountability tribunal, deployment of peacekeepers and the imposition of sanctions, which we believe up the ante and do move aggressively to try to stop those atrocities,” said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.
Without providing details Boucher told reporters Washington had proposed “oil sanctions,” an assets freeze and travel ban on Sudanese officials and militia members and the extension of an arms embargo on the government.
The U.N. released a report on Monday that said crimes against humanity and war crimes had been committed in Darfur but stopped short of accusing the government of genocide.
The report by international legal experts, however, said that some individuals, including government officials, may have committed “acts with genocidal intent” in the western Sudan region and said the attacks continued in recent months.
The report recommended the Security Council refer cases to the International Criminal Court, the first permanent global criminal tribunal, for trial. The United States vehemently opposes that court, which Europeans support, and wants to set up a court in Tanzania run by the U.N. and African Union.
Pictures and reports of displaced and brutalized villagers in Darfur prompted outrage around the world last year but the major nations that make up the Security Council are still divided on what action to take to stop the turmoil.
The conflict erupted after rebel groups took up arms in February 2003, accusing Khartoum of neglect. The government retaliated by deploying Arab militias.
Asked why there was now any greater chance that the council would now endorse sanctions, a senior U.S. official told reporters: “The only reason that we might have a shot at it now is that it’s not just a matter of U.S. assertions and U.S. facts but it’s a matter of U.N. assertions and U.N. facts.
“When you have a U.N. commission that says you have got crimes against humanity it .. confronts U.N. Security Council members with the facts in a more direct way.” he added.