Washington split on Sudan

WASHINGTON, Aug 13, 2004 (Fox News) — Sudan has two-and-a-half weeks to prove to the United Nations Security Council it is taking real steps to stop the suffering of the people of the western state of Darfur or face sanctions. The Sudanese government isn’t making believers out of Washington.

“It is genocide. I’ve seen it with my own eyes,” said Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., co-chairman of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. “If this were taking place in southern France or western Germany, the world would be electrified.”

The Bush administration has been careful not to characterize events in Sudan as “genocide,” instead hoping a more diplomatic approach will convince the government in the capital Khartoum to enact peaceful reforms.

So far, the administration has not yet determined that events in Darfur meet the “technical definition” of the term “genocide,” a senior administration official told FOXNews.com. U.S. officials are waiting to hear the report of a State Department team currently in Darfur to assess whether genocide has taken place.

“There’s definitely nothing that would preclude us from calling what is occurring there genocide if that is what the State Department determines,” the official said. The administration on Monday endorsed an agreement between the United Nations and Sudan to require the government to create safe areas in Darfur so civilians can search for food and water