Egypt, China refuse imposition of sanctions on Sudan, Washington is ready to amend its proposal at the UNSC
Sudan-Regional, Politics, 9/14/2004

The US under secretary of state Richard Armitaj said yesterday the US is ready to amend its proposed resolutions to the UN Security Council calling for imposing sanctions on Sudan after objections in the Security Council surfaced to this effect.

In a press conference in Oslo, Armitaj told reporters "usually when a resolution is approved at the UN Security Council be it by us or another country, there are amendments there and I do expect some amendments" in the text concerning Sudan. Armitaj added in conclusion of the talks he held with the Norway foreign minister Yan Peterson that Washington persists that the resolution to be the strongest possible in order to end 10 months of the conflict taking place in West Darfur, west Sudan, which was described by the US secretary of state last week as an operation of "Genocide."

The US had officially proposed a draft resolution to the UN Security Council last Friday to pressure the Sudanese government to control the Arab militias of the Jangaweid which is accused of being responsible for the blood shed in Darfur where 50,000 persons were killed since the rebels of the African Sudanese against the government of Khartoum in February 2003 in protest of margining them politically and economically in their areas.

China led several countries which opposed the American draft resolution which calls for strengthening the forces of the African Union in Darfur, threatening of imposing sanctions on the Sudanese oil sector unless Khartoum dismantles the weapons of the militias. Washington gets the support of Germany and Britain and is in need of nine votes to reinforce the resolution in case countries of permanent membership at the UNSC will not veto.

However, Russia and China who enjoy the veto right, in addition to Pakistan and Algeria expressed reservations over the UN SC draft resolution.

Previous Stories:
  U.S. presents new resolution on Darfur to U.N.   (9/11/2004)
  Abuja negotiations suspended, new wave of displacement in Darfur   (9/11/2004)
  European reluctance on genocide accusations in Darfur   (9/11/2004)
  African efforts to eliminate the standstill talks over Darfur   (9/8/2004)
  Khartoum accepts conditions of deployment of African forces in Darfur   (8/26/2004)
  Africa Summit on Darfur opens in Abuja   (8/24/2004)

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