Progress can be made with Darfur peacekeeping – US envoy
Dec 15, 2006 (BRUSSELS) — Progress can be made on deploying reinforcements for African Union peacekeepers in the troubled Darfur region of western Sudan, a U.S. diplomat told European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization officials Friday.
Andrew Natsios, a U.S. special envoy to Sudan and Darfur, said he had discussed a proposal with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to break the deadlock on Khartoum’s refusal to allow 20,000 U.N. peacekeepers into the region.
“There is a proposal that President Bashir and I discussed that will resolve the impasse over the blue helmets,” Natsios said in Brussels, referring to the U.N. troops. “If we cannot get that resolved then we have a big problem, if we do get it resolved then at least we can move along.”
His visit to brief NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and E.U. foreign policy chief Javier Solana came as a coalition of aid agencies called for an immediate cease-fire in Darfur – complaining relief workers are unable to reach those in need.
Solana’s spokeswoman Cristina Gallach said the E.U. and U.N. were cooperating in pushing for the plan and said there was no decisions made to follow up diplomatic action with measures such as a naval blockade, “no-fly zone” or other trade sanctions to pressure Sudan into accepting the U.N. force.
An E.U. summit, meanwhile, expressed “deep concern” Friday over Darfur, but stopped short of taking action against the Sudanese government for resisting the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers.
Natsios declined to comment on whether sanctions — including a naval blockade, “no-fly zone” or other measures — could be used to pressure Sudan into accepting the U.N. force.
The U.S. State Department has raised the possibility of tougher sanctions, and U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair said this week he would favor enforcing a no-fly zone.
“I don’t think anyone has yet gone into any great detail on this, but obviously people are concerned…the international community is looking at its options,” British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett said.
Washington is skeptical diplomatic pressure alone will persuade Sudan to let the peacekeepers in, but E.U. diplomats are concerned threats could lead to the Sudanese taking a tougher response.
The Sudanese are confident of Chinese support, which could block U.N. Security Council approval of sanctions and are doubtful about Western nations’ commitment to deploy the military resources needed in remote central Africa to enforce a no-fly zone.
More than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million others displaced in nearly four years of spiraling violence in Darfur.
The U.N. and other groups say the Sudanese army and the janjaweed militias coordinate attacks that have killed hundreds of civilians in recent weeks alone. The Sudanese government denies the allegations and blames the janjaweed for the bulk of the looting, raping and killing in Darfur.
Aid groups Concern Worldwide, Goal, International Rescue Committee, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam International and World Vision, said Friday that their staff can no longer safely carry out relief work.
(AP)