The Washington Post calls on Bush to intervene for Darfur force deployment
December 16, 2007 (WASHINGTON) — The ‘Washington Post’ called on US president George Bush to intervene in order to ensure that the Darfur peacekeeping force is deployed timely with all the resources needed.
“Mr. Bashir, Sudan’s Arab dictator, has made an art form out of confounding Western attempts to end his genocidal repression of Darfur’s African population. His pattern is to resist international pressure until it reaches a peak. He then appears to give in, waits until Western attention wanders and returns to intransigence” the Washington Post said.
UN Security Council resolution 1769 establishing UN-AU hybrid force provided for a transition from the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) to the force known as UNAMID by December 31st.
However the deployment of the force has been hampered by Sudan’s objections to non-African troops and restrictions it want to impose on the movements of the troops as well as flights.
This weekend the Sudanese foreign ministry reiterated rejection of non-African troops.
“The attitude of the Sudan towards the involvement of the Norwegians has previously expressed by Field Marshal Omar Al-Bashir, President of Sudan, which rejected the participation of forces from the Norway or Danish in the hybrid operation” the government sponsored Sudanese Media Center (SMC) said on its website.
The Washington Post expressed surprise that “NATO countries among them have 18,000 helicopters, none have been made available for Darfur”.
No country has offered the 24 helicopters requested by the United Nations. Without them the peacekeepers will be unable to move around an area about the size of France or defend themselves if they come under attack, U.N. officials say.
But the Washington Post said that the US should not offer any helicopters for the mission.
“The Bush administration, which called the campaign in Darfur genocide more than three years ago, has done more than most other government. It provides airlift for peacekeepers and is paying for the construction of their camps. U.S. helicopters might be counterproductive in Darfur even if Mr. Bashir would accept them”
Nonetheless the newspaper said the White House should start a diplomatic effort to pressure the Sudanese president to drop his objections and on international community to provide helicopters.
“The Bush administration needs to step up its efforts to see that the U.N. force is deployed in January. That means helping Mr. Ban get his aircraft and simultaneously renewing the pressure on Mr. Bashir. The cynical strongman is counting on a failure of will by NATO and the Security Council; it will take an effort by President Bush to disappoint him” the Washington Post said.
Andrew Natsios, US Special Envoy for Sudan said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington that US officials at the most senior level are pressuring their counterparts in other countries to provide necessary resources for the peacekeeping force.
International experts estimate 200,000 people have died in the conflict, which Washington calls genocide, a term European governments are reluctant to use. The Sudan government says 9,000 people have been killed.
(ST)