UN can not force Sudan to accept Blue Helmets – UK official
Nov 10, 2006 (LONDON) — A high-level British diplomat acknowledged yesterday that if Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir continues to reject the deployment of UN forces in Darfur then the UN Security Council cannot force him to do so “or occupy Sudan”.
He added that the “international community must, in this case, shoulder the responsibility and assist the AU to broaden the mission of its forces there”, the London-based newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat reported on Thursday Nov 9.
The diplomat, who sought anonymity, stressed that “the Sudanese government was responsible for the deteriorating situation in Darfur, and the UN could not be held responsible for that”.
But in his response to a question whether this means taking measures against the Sudanese government for its rejection of the international forces, he said: “In this case, the international community will be compelled to shoulder its responsibilities and assist the AU to broaden its mission.”
Speaking at a meeting with a group of Arab and Iranian correspondents yesterday, the British diplomat said: “The AU has done a good job, but the challenge is greater than what its forces can control.”
He noted that the AU has not been asked to cater for a military operation of this magniture since its establishment, and added: In addition to the international forces’ expertise in this matter, the UN Security Council is seeking to deploy UN forces that do not need a special budget but finance from the budget allocated for the UN peacekeeping operations.
He added that the Security Council was trying to persuade the Sudanese president to accept the international forces before 24 November, the date for the AU meeting to discuss a renewal of its forces’ mandate in Sudan.
He noted British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s willingness to attend a “meeting of leaders to discuss this issue”.
Just as the British diplomat asserted that “occupation of Sudan” is out of the question even if it refused to comply with Security Council Resolution 1706, he also stressed that the only available avenue for persuading Iran to comply with the Security Council resolution on its nuclear programme is the imposition of sanctions, and not force.
He said: “Sanctions are the only proposed option.” He added that Britain and France have submitted to the Security Council a new draft resolution under Article 41 of the UN Charter that lists the sanctions on Iran because of its refusal to stop uranium enrichment.
(ST)