As Sudan mission extended, Security Council wrangles over sanctions

By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 10, 2005 (AP) — The U.N. Security Council will extend the U.N. political mission in Sudan for a week while members seek agreement on a U.N. peacekeeping force, sanctions, and bringing perpetrators of war crimes to justice, diplomats said Wednesday.

A displaced Sudanese woman carries her belonging as a U.N. vehicle passes at the Abu Shouk camp, in north Darfur, Sudan, Aug. 27, 2004. (AP).

The mandate of the U.N. mission in Sudan expires Thursday and Washington will introduce a technical resolution to keep it going for a week, Richard Grenell, spokesman for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, said.

The council has scheduled consultations on Sudan Thursday afternoon and a vote is likely afterwards, he said.

Council experts have been meeting for weeks trying to bridge differences over sanctions and the court to try those accused of crimes. But diplomats say a wide gap remains and negotiations have now moved to capitals in hopes of reaching agreement next week.

The latest U.S. draft resolution would establish a broader U.N. mission and authorize a 10,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force to monitor a peace accord ending a 21-year civil war between the government and southern rebels. It would also try to reinforce efforts by an African Union force to foster peace in the western Darfur region.

The U.S. proposal calls for a travel ban and asset freeze on those who impede the peace process, threaten stability in Darfur, violate international humanitarian or human rights law, or are responsible for military overflights.

The United States dropped an earlier proposal to extend an arms embargo already in force in Darfur for both black African rebel groups and the Arab militia known as Janjaweed to include Sudan’s government. China, Russia and Algeria were opposed, according to U.N. diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“This is a good move but still we have difficulties with the whole concept of sanctions,” China’s U.N. Ambassador Wang Guangya said Wednesday.

An International Commission of Inquiry recently concluded that crimes against humanity — but not genocide — probably occurred in Darfur where 2 million people have been forced to flee their homes and at least 70,000 have died.

The commission recommended that those responsible be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court, the world’s first permanent war crimes tribunal, and drew up a secret list of top suspects.

The original U.S. draft resolution said perpetrators of crimes should be “brought to justice through internationally accepted means,” but it did not say how the accused would be tried. The latest draft referred to those suspects.

Twelve of the 15 council members are parties to the court and strongly back the commission’s recommendation, but the United States opposes the International Criminal Court. It wants war crimes suspects to be tried by a new tribunal in Arusha, Tanzania.

China and Algeria also oppose allowing the court to try alleged perpetrators. However, the U.S. proposal for the Arusha tribunal has received little support.

China’s Wang stressed that his country is not a party to the court. “Impunity is an issue we have to address, but I would say that it has to be done mainly by national mechanism, with some international support,” he said.

The latest U.S. draft has the note “to be developed” next to the proposal on bringing to justice those responsible for “crimes and atrocities.”

There has been some talk among diplomats of splitting the U.S. draft into two resolutions, authorizing the widely supported peackeeping force first. It would put off the issue of how to tackle impunity. But many council nations still want a single resolution.