EU must be ready to toughen Sudan sanctions- Merkel

March 28, 2007 (BRUSSELS) — The European Union must be ready to impose tougher sanctions on Sudan over its behaviour in the province of Darfur if the United Nations is unable to agree, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday.

“We cannot turn our backs in situation in Darfur,” Merkel told the European Parliament, adding that the German EU presidency was pushing for a tough U.N. sanctions resolution.

“In EU we also have duty … if that (U.N. sanctions) proves impossible, to consider them in the EU. We have a duty to act,” she said.

(Reuters)