Darfur.. EU Follows US Lead, China Threatens Veto

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.