Germany calls on China to pressure Sudan's government

The German foreign minister Yushka Fischer, currently visiting China called on the government of Beijing to make utmost pressures on the Sudanese government in order to put an end to what he called the practices of the pro- government militias in Darfur district.

China is holding important economic relations with Sudan. China's foreign minister in January this year inaugurated in Sudan two factories for electricity generation, one of them is financed and built by China.

China supports Germany's position concerning Sudan at the UN, but does not agree with it concerning the file on human rights. The Chinese foreign minister said that China " supports a greater German role at the UN " but without announcing definitely his country's support to Germany's request to get a permanent seat at the UN Security Council. Worthy mentioning that China is one of the five UN permanent member states at the Council.

These statements come on the background of the discussions taking place at the lounges of the UN Security Council over imposing sanctions on Sudan. Diplomats at the UN said that it is likely to reach an agreement on an American draft resolution by the beginning of next week.

The expected resolution imposes an immediate embargo on the travel and armament of the Jangaweid militias and threatens to expand the sanctions to include Khartoum within one month, if the government will not stop what Washington calls the killing of civilians and crimes of rapes and expulsion of the Sudanese of African origins from their villages.