More words than action by Sudan to contain crisis: US
WASHINGTON, July 12 (AFP) — Sudan has still not fulfilled its promise of swift action to stop violence in the crisis-hit Darfur region, the United States said as it continued to consult other powers on possible sanctions against the defiant nation.
“We’ve seen more words than action at this point, but there is a mixed picture and some reports of positive actions and some reports of negative actions,” State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters.
Secretary of State Colin Powell telephoned his Sudanese counterpart at the weekend to remind him of the government’s pledges to him and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan during their visit to the scene of the crisis recently, Boucher said.
Sudanese President Omar el-Beshir had vowed to them that he would crack down on the Janjaweed militia and help protect the destitute villagers.
More than 10,000 people are estimated to have died in Darfur and at least 1.2 million have been driven from their homes, many of them to squalid camps in Chad, since a revolt against the Arab-dominated government broke out among indigenous ethnic minorities in February 2003.
In retaliation, the pro-government Arab Janjaweed militias have carried out what UN officials say is a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing against black Africans.
Powell made clear to Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Ismail “how closely we were following the events on the ground, how we were looking at every single aspect that had been discussed” during their visit to Darfur, Boucher said.
Meanwhile, he said, the United States continued to prepare a UN resolution seeking sanctions against Sudan if it reneged on its promise.
Boucher indicated that any move on the resolution could take place only after Thursday, when Annan returned to New York.
“We’re looking forward to hearing from the secretary general when he returns, which I think is (July) 15. And in the meantime, we’ll continue to prepare the resolution with other members of the (Security) Council,” Boucher said.
“We closely monitor and evaluate the government of Sudan’s performance on its commitments, both those made to the secretary and to the secretary general, and more generally to the international community,” Boucher said.
Powell said last week the United States had drafted a UN Security Council resolution seeking sanctions on militia leaders behind the violence. He said the draft was being discussed with selected council members.
He said the resolution called upon the Sudanese government to immediately fulfill all of its pledges to end the violence and to give access to aid workers and international monitors.
The resolution also urged the warring parties to conclude a political agreement without delay and sought sanctions against the Janjaweed militias and “those who aid and abet them as well as others who may have responsibility for this tragic situation.”