US presents fine-tunes version of draft resolution on Sudan, involves AU
UNITED NATIONS, Sep 16, 2004 (KUNA) — The US on Thursday circulated in the Security Council a third version of a draft resolution on Sudan stating that the members “shall consider taking additional measures” against Khartoum if it fails to stop the killings in Darfur but only “after consultations with the African Union.”
The mention of measures to affect Sudan’s petroleum sector and the call on the Secretary-General to “rapidly” establish an international commission of inquiry to determine whether or not acts of genocide have occurred, are still in the new version.
These two points had been rejected by other council members, pushing the US to come up with a third version today.
The other change the US presented to the Council in an informal Council meeting concerns military flights over the Darfur region.
While the second version “calls” on Khartoum to “cease” all military flights in and over the Darfur region, the new draft “urges” Khartoum to “refrain from conducting” military flights in and over Darfur region “in accordance with its (previous) commitments.”
The new version does not request Khartoum anymore to “facilitate member states’ support for steps by the African Union Mission to monitor Government of Sudan compliance through the provision of international overflights” and the stationing of African Union observers at key airports.
According to the new version, the Council would declare its grave concern that the Government of Sudan “has not fully met its obligations” contained in the previous resolution of last July.
In the previous version, the Council would declare its grave concern that Khartoum “has failed to comply fully with its commitments” contained in the previous resolution.
While the US previous draft “welcomes the Government of Sudan’s willingness to accept and facilitate an expanded African Union Mission (in numbers),” the new draft “welcomes the Government of Sudan’s request to the African Union to increase its monitoring presence in Darfur.”
All these changes in the new third version of the draft on Sudan were presented to Council members on Thursday after the US faced strong opposition from many Council members on its previous two versions.
The first version, circulated last week, said the Council “will take further actions” regarding, among other things, the Khartoum oil industry if it does not stop the killings in the Darfur region as it promised it would.
This first version was flatly rejected by most Council members, including China and Russia – two permanent members with veto power.
The second version, circulated earlier this week, says the Council “shall consider taking additional measures” if Khartoum fails to honor its previous commitments.
This second version is still opposed by the same members, especially by China which said late Wednesday it still had “serious” problems with it.
The US delegation insists on voting on the draft tomorrow Friday, rejecting an Algerian proposal to wait until the African Union President, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, addresses the Council on September 24 on the Union’s efforts to solve the crisis in Darfur.
Obasanjo will be here in the context of the General Assembly’s 59th session whose general debate begins next Monday.