Sudan tries to intimidate UN troop contributors – US

Oct 5, 2006 (UNITED NATIONS) — The United States demanded on Thursday that the U.N. Security Council respond to Sudan’s warning that any nation pledging U.N. troops for Darfur was committing a “hostile act” and a “prelude to an invasion.”

U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, who called for a special closed-door council session, said he expected the 15-member body to react later in the day to what he called Khartoum’s attempt to intimidate potential troop contributors.

Sudan’s U.N. mission sent an unsigned letter to dozens of states, many of whom attended a meeting on Sept. 25 on troop and police contributions to a future U.N. force in Darfur. Sudan has rejected such a force.

“In the absence of Sudan’s consent to the deployment of U.N. troops, any volunteering to provide peacekeeping troops to Darfur will be considered as a hostile act, a prelude to an invasion of a member country of the U.N.,” the letter said.

Bolton said he would circulate a statement to all council members later in the day. But this may be difficult as a statement requires unanimous consent and Qatar, the only Arab council member, sides with the Sudan government.

“I think they’re trying to intimidate troop-contributing countries,” Bolton told reporters. “This is a direct challenge to the authority of the Security Council in its efforts to alleviate the tragedy in Darfur and clearly requires a strong response by the Security Council.”

But Council President Kenzo Oshima of Japan said he would speak to Sudan’s U.N. envoy, seek clarification and convey the opinion of some members that the letter was “offensive” and “inappropriate in tonality, in language.”

Sudan’s letter also said Khartoum “fully supports” augmenting an African Union force now in Darfur but said again that Khartoum rejected a U.N.-run operation.

The African Union has some 7,000 troops and monitors but has been unable to stop the violence that has driven 2.5 million people from their homes and left an estimated 200,000 dead since 2003.

The U.N. peacekeeping department on Sept. 25 organized a meeting to discuss troops for any future force in Darfur so the world body could move into Darfur as soon as Sudan agreed.

But the force, approved by the Security Council, is still on paper only with its goal of 22,500 soldiers and police.

Greece’s U.N. Ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis, who said he had also received the letter, said the Sudanese position was nothing new.

“For me what is important is how we find a solution to save lives. That is the most important thing,” Vassilakis said.

Asked if the letter was a threat to attack any U.N. soldier in Darfur, he said, “Before they do they will think twice.”

At the moment, the world body is trying to reinforce the African troops by sending 100 personnel to run communications and other equipment as a prelude to a U.N. operation.

Some diplomats as well as Jan Pronk, the U.N. representative in Sudan, have suggested that countries should push for a prolonged and beefed up African Union force. But so far the Security Council and top U.N. officials have rejected this plan.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a report, circulated on Thursday, said Darfur was at a critical stage.

“Unless security improves, the world is facing the prospect of having to drastically curtail an acutely needed humanitarian operation,” he wrote.

(Reuters)