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Darfur.. EU Follows US Lead, China Threatens Veto
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The situation in Darfur is taking a dangerous turn
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STRASBOURG,
France, September 16 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – In a clear
reversal of its earlier position over the situation in
Darfur, the European Parliament Thursday, September 16, adopted the
US
position, calling atrocities in the western Sudanese region
“genocide”, while China insisted it would still veto any resolution
calling for anti-Khartoum sanctions.
In
a resolution that earned widespread backing, EU lawmakers urged Sudan
“to end impunity and to bring to justice immediately the planners and
perpetrators of crimes against humanity, war crimes and human rights
violations, which can be construed as tantamount to genocide”.
The
Strasbourg assembly said that should Khartoum fail to do so, “the
international community will have to find a way of ensuring they are
brought to justice, including those responsible in the present Sudanese
regime,” according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The
resolution contrasts with an earlier conclusion by the European Union
that no evidence had been found of genocide
Darfur
based on a report by a fact-finding mission sent by the bloc.
“We
are
not in the situation of genocide there...But it is clear there
is widespread, silent and slow, killing going on, and village burning on
a fairly large scale,” Pieter Feith, who visited Sudan on behalf of
the EU foreign affairs chief Javier Solana, leading an EU fact-finding
mission in the area, said Monday, August 9.
The
new decision by the Europeans ends a key disagreement with the
United States, whose Congress
had branded a resolution branding the
Darfur
as genocide.
Washington
is seeking support for a UN Security Council resolution threatening an
oil embargo against
Sudan
if it fails to disarm Arab militia or Janjaweed.
On
Monday, European Union foreign ministers renewed a threat of sanctions
against the Sudanese government unless it moves to disarm the Arab
militia wreaking havoc inDarfur
.
Going
beyond the cautious line by European governments, the EU lawmakers
condemned in the Thursday resolution Sudan “for its deliberate support
in Darfur of the targeting of civilians from certain communities”
including “killings, the use of sexual violence against women, looting
and general harassment”.
Noting
Sudan's recent importation of Russian-made MIG warplanes, the EU lawmakers
called on the UN Security Council to “consider a global arms embargo
on
Sudan”.
Veto
Threat
Veto-wielding
China, however, is still opposed to escalation, which many Sudanese and
Arabs dismiss as a new bid to hit Sudan and control Darfur –- which
reportedly enjoys potential oil reserves and other natural riches.
China, whose companies have dominated the oil industry in
Sudan, refused Thursday to rule out using its UN veto on a US-backed
resolution about the situation in the region, saying sanctions would not
work.
“The
draft resolution tabled by the United States should not be put forward
unless it involves the concerns of the members of the Security Council
and also the African nations and the African Union,” foreign ministry
spokesman Kong Quan said.
“Our
position is clear, this is a very complicated issue, ... we think
sanctions will not solve the problem. On the contrary, it will only
complicate matters given the current situation.”
But
the
US
reacted with defiance, saying it would push for a vote on its UN
resolution by Friday despite the possible veto from
China.
Nine
votes are needed to pass a council resolution as long as there is no
veto from one of the permanent members --
Britain,
China, France,
Russia
and the
United States.
In
addition to
China, council members
Algeria,
Pakistan
and
Russia
have expressed opposition to the resolution.
“I
can't tell you what position China will take because the draft
resolution is still under discussion, but I hope the US will consider
the views of others and make a commitment to the draft resolution,”
said Kong.
He
also said the Sudanese government should be given more time to negotiate
an end to the bitter conflict, which erupted in west
Sudan
in February 2003.
Although
the
US
last week called what has happened “genocide”, the UN termed the
situation the “world's worst current humanitarian crisis”.
But
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan refused to say in an interview with the
BBC Wednesday that what happens in
Darfur
genocidal, saying leveling such a description needs more time for
discussion in the world organization.
Peace
Efforts
Meanwhile,
African Union (AU) mediators met separately with each of two rebels
groups from
Sudan's
Darfur
region to try to get them to sign a protocol on humanitarian issues and
prevent peace talks for
Darfur
collapsing.
The
mediators first met with the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) before
meeting the delegation from the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM),
delegates at the three-week-old peace talks said.
“We
do not think the negotiations have failed and we are ready to continue
the negotiations,” said Abduljabbar Dofa on behalf of the SLM.
A
Darfur
rebel leader had said Wednesday that “the negotiations have
collapsed already because there are differences, strong
differences between us and the Sudanese government.”
Sudan's deputy foreign minister Najeib Abdelwahab, who is attending the
Abuja
talks, blamed the
United States
for the deadlock.
“The
negotiations have been very much undermined by Powell's declaration,
which led our brothers (the rebels) to stay very firmly on their
positions,” Abdelwahab told reporters at
Abuja's
International
Conference
Center.
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