Britain welcomes United Nations resolution on Sudan

LONDON, July 30, 2004 (AP) — The British government on Friday welcomed a United Nations decision to threaten Sudan with unspecified economic or diplomatic “action” unless it disarms Arab militias blamed for killing thousands in the Darfur region.

“This resolution underlines the international community’s determination to stop the violence in Darfur,” said Britain’s minister for Africa, Chris Mullin.

“Sudan’s obligations are clear and their choice is stark: comply or face a range of possible measures including, but not limited to, sanctions.”

“The Sudanese government have promised to rein in the armed militias, now they must demonstrate that those promises are sincere,” he said.

But Menzies Campbell, foreign affairs spokesman for the opposition Liberal Democrats, said the resolution did not go far enough.

The Security Council dropped the word “sanctions” from the resolution following protests from China, Russia and Pakistan.

The resolution requires U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to report on Sudan’s compliance every 30 days.

“This resolution may have been all that was politically possible in New York, but it seems to me to fall a long way short of what is necessary in Darfur,” Campbell said.

“The timetable involved seems unnecessarily prolonged and one can only imagine the hunger and suffering which will take place in the next 30 days,” he added. “The truth is there has been too much dithering over Darfur.”

The United Nations estimates that up to 30,000 people have been killed in Sudan’s western Darfur region, more than a million driven from their homes, and some 2.2 million left in urgent need of food and other aid as pro-government Arab militias known as Janjaweed waged a brutal campaign to drive out black African farmers in a 17-month conflict over dwindling resources.