German foreign minister urges Sudan to avert ‘disaster’ in Darfur

KHARTOUM, July 12 (AFP) — German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer pressed the Sudanese government to take urgent action to stop the violence in the crisis-hit region of Darfur and avert a “humanitarian disaster”.

After talks with his Sudanese counterpart Mustafa Ismail, Fischer said that Sudan must immediately rein in Arab militia accused by the United Nations of carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing in the west of the country.

“We fear a humanitarian disaster coming there and a serious violation of human rights,” Fischer, who arrived in Khartoum late Sunday, told reporters.

Fischer said talks on possible UN sanctions would become “much more serious” if the government failed to honor its pledge to disarm the militias, provide access for aid workers and hold talks to defuse the crisis — assurances made earlier this month after talks with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

“It’s not the hour to discuss sanctions. It’s the hour to discuss implementation,” said Fischer, who also met President Omar al-Beshir.

But he added “it’s quite clear it’s an open issue” when asked about the possibility of putting forward a draft resolution on sanctions at the UN Security Council, where Germany holds one of 10 rotating seats.

Ismail said Khartoum was doing its part to curb the violence in Darfur and bristled at the suggestion of UN sanctions.

“The government is doing its best,” he said. “We are not afraid of sanctions.”

More than 10,000 people are estimated to have died in Darfur and at least 1.2 million have been driven from their homes since February 2003, when black African groups revolted against the Arab government in Khartoum.

Pro-government Arab Janjaweed militia retaliated with brutal force, provoking what the United Nations has called the world’s worst current humanitarian catastrophe.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell said during a visit last week that Sudan would face global sanctions if it did not move to halt the bloodshed in Darfur.

But Ismail warned that excessive pressure on Sudan could backfire.

“If it is too much it is going to be insensitive,” he said.

Ismail cautioned that the government could pull its security forces out of the region if the global scrutiny became too great, forcing the international community to send in its own troops.

Sudan has announced plans to deploy thousands of police officers in Darfur. An estimated 900 are currently on the ground.

Meanwhile German Overseas Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, speaking in Berlin, spoke of a “genocide in slow motion” in Darfur.

She demanded sanctions against Khartoum, saying it was troubling that Powell’s visit had done nothing to stem attacks on villages, and said she has earmarked 10 million euros (12.4 million dollars) in emergency aid for Darfur in addition to 12.5 million euros in assistance already provided.

Fischer reiterated Berlin’s offer to help in the peace process between Sudan’s government and rebels in the south of the country to secure a permanent ceasefire crucial to ending 21 years of conflict, pending action on Darfur.

“But Darfur must be solved,” Fischer said, adding that his talks with Ismail had been “serious and very open”.

In an earlier interview in a Sudanese newspaper, however, Ismail criticized Germany’s “negative” views on Darfur.

“Germany is one of the most intransigent countries when it comes to Darfur and is constantly pushing to have the issue dealt with in a draft resolution at the UN Security Council.”