Bush, Blair frustrated over global response to Darfur

May 17, 2007 (WASHINGTON) — US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair Thursday expressed frustration over the global community’s failure to act against Sudan over the bloodshed in Darfur.

Speaking after talks with Blair, Bush said he expressed “how frustrated I am and I know the prime minister’s frustrated (over) the inability for the international community to react with consequence in Darfur.”

Bush said he wanted to press ahead with UN sanctions against Sudan “and hopefully a new, stronger United Nations resolution if we don’t see some improvement in the lives of the people there.”

Blair said: “We have the same position exactly on Darfur and on the need to take action there.”

The Darfur conflict has cost at least 200,000 lives and forced more than two million people from their homes, according to the United Nations, though Sudan contests those estimates, saying 9,000 people have died.

In a report last week, Amnesty International said that China and Russia, which are both permanent members of the UN Security Council, had violated a UN ban on supplying arms to Sudan that were used in Darfur.

(AFP)