Time not ripe for UN sanctions on Sudan: Russia
By Evelyn Leopold
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 31 (Reuters) – Russia opposes U.N. sanctions against Sudan because Khartoum has taken some positive steps in ameliorating the humanitarian crisis in its Darfur region, Moscow’s U.N. ambassador said on Tuesday.
The comments by Andrei Denisov, on his last day as rotating president of the 15-member U.N. Security Council, reflected a majority view against against threatened sanctions at this time, council members said.
The Security Council by Thursday will receive a report from Jan Pronk, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s special envoy in Sudan, in response to its ultimatum a month ago for Khartoum to rein in marauding militia, called Janjaweed, or face the possibility of sanctions. Pronk’s report is expected to give a mixed picture of Sudan’s cooperation.
“In this particular situation, I can say, in my national capacity, according to information that we got from the ground, and we expect it to be in the report, there are some signs that the situation starts to change,” Denisov told reporters.”
“If it is so, then there is no ground for such strong measures as sanctions,” he said. “I think that sanctions is not a good choice in this particular situation.”
He said Sudan was trying to do something about the crisis in the western Darfur region, which has cost up to 50,000 lives and resulted in the pillaging, rape and expulsion of African villagers by the mostly-Arab Janjaweed militia.
“The whole performance in Darfur, Sudan, is still very far from being satisfactory, but we note some positive changes,” Denisov said. “Sanctions is like a surgical instrument. It must be used very, very carefully. The threat of sanctions sometimes is a more powerful weapon than sanctions itself.”
The United States, which has pushed the threat of unspecified sanctions, is supported mainly by European nations, such as Britain, France, Germany and Romania. It would have trouble imposing punitive measures in the 15-nation council at this time, diplomats said.
Consequently, hopes are pinned on proposals by the African Union to bolster its small observer force to at least 3,000 soldiers, thereby serving as a bulwark against further atrocities. The Nigerian-sponsored initiative is the subject of peace talks between Sudan and Darfurian rebels.
“The African Union plays a very important role,” Denisov said. “African Union units are the main peacekeepers for the time being. We can only endorse these efforts.”