G8 to tell Sudan no foot-dragging on Darfur-Canada

June 1, 2007 (OTTAWA) — A summit of major world leaders next week will send a message to Sudan that they expect Khartoum not to impede plans to end the conflict in the Darfur region, a senior Canadian official said on Friday.

The United Nations says 200,000 people have died since conflict flared up in Darfur in 2003. Washington and other western nations say Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir is stalling efforts to restore peace.

Leaders of the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations will discuss the conflict at a summit in Germany next week, the official told reporters.

“I think we can expect that leaders will spend a lot of time discussing how they (send a) message back to Africa, to the government of Sudan and to others, their strong expectation that there be no foot-dragging or intransigence,” he said.

Bashir has stalled for months over whether to accept U.N. packages to support an African Union peacekeeping force of 7,000, which is seen as a prelude to a larger hybrid force of more than 23,000 troops and police.

Khartoum says 9,000 have died in Darfur and rejects accusations of genocide.

The Canadian official said the leaders would also address “directly the deplorable conditions on the ground” but gave no further details.

Experts say more than two million people have been driven from their homes since 2003.

U.S. President George W. Bush imposed new unilateral sanctions on Sudan on Tuesday and sought support for an international arms embargo.

(Reuters)