UN rights council locked in battle over Darfur
March 16, 2007 (GENEVA) — allies of Sudan in the UN Human Rights Council were locked in a battle of minds on Friday over the follow-up to a mission that accused Khartoum of orchestrating war crimes in Darfur, diplomats said.
The 47-member assembly was set to continue its debate on Darfur next week, after attempts to stifle the discussion were thwarted by tough bargaining behind the scenes, a senior EU official said.
An end to the debate would have effectively nullified findings of the Council-appointed mission led by Nobel laureate Jody Williams.
It released a report on Monday accusing Sudan of orchestrating human rights abuses and war crimes in Darfur.
The report also criticised the international community’s failure to protect civilians.
Sudan, which blocked the troubled mission from entering the country, has rejected the findings as biased.
Pressure on Sudan was also building in the more powerful UN Security Council in New York.
The United States said Wednesday that it would seek a UN resolution aimed at forcing Khartoum to allow a UN-led peacekeeping force into Darfur.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Thursday that the international community should take a “far tougher line” against Sudan over atrocities in Darfur to prevent extremism spreading across Africa.
The eight EU countries in the Human Rights Council are now aiming to to convince a majority of the 47 nations to at least “take note” of the report, and then act to follow-up on its findings, the EU official said.
China and Russia defended Khartoum, while Islamic nations signalled that they backed complaints of bias and would seek approval for a replacement mission.
“We have to understand that this report was not done properly … because they did not go to Sudan,” OIC Secretary General Ekmelledin Ihsan said this week.
However, the African group of countries in the Council, which had previously rallied around a more diplomatic approach on Darfur, appeared divided Friday.
Ghana, Senegal and Zambia voiced concern about the human rights situation there.
Developing nations hold a majority on the Council and their support is crucial in any vote.
The Council’s current session is due to end on March 30
(AFP)