Agence France-Presse,
China, Russia and South Africa on Wednesday poured cold water on US and British plans to push for UN sanctions against Sudan at a time when Khartoum is cooperating with the United Nations on Darfur.
In Washington, US President George W. Bush bluntly warned that Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir had one “last chance” to help end violence in Darfur or face tougher US sanctions and other punishments.
Britain and the United States said they would begin talks in the Security Council Thursday on a new Sudan sanctions draft.
But Russia and China, two veto-wielding council members, along with South Africa made it clear that they oppose such a draft at this time.
“We don't think it's the right time. It would be very strange,” Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said.
“Why do we have to be so negative?” he said “After a long while, we have this kind of positive development in the dialogue between the UN and Khartoum and all of a sudden to come back with some sanctions would not be good.”
China's deputy UN Ambassador Liu Zhenmin concurred.
“It is better not to move in that direction (sanctions) … Many parties are engaging the Sudanese government. Agreement has been reached for the heavy package support (deployment of UN 3,000 peacekeepers),” he said.
On Monday Sudan agreed following months of delays to let 3,000 UN personnel plus helicopters into Darfur to support under-equipped African Union forces trying to stabilize the region.
The UN peacekeepers are to provide logistical, communications, intelligence and air support to 7,000 under-equipped AU troops that have failed to stem four years of bloody ethnic strife in the western Sudanese region.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack noted Wednesday that Khartoum “does have some time” before facing sanctions.
“He (Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir) has weeks in order to fully meet the commitments that he signed on to,” he said, referring to a deal signed by Sudan last year to allow a robust, joint UN-African Union peacekeeping force into Darfur.
“It is very surprising that they would be bringing up sanctions when Sudan has just made great improvements on the request of the UN for the heavy package (the deployment of 3,000 UN peacekeepers), has accepted (UN chief) Ban Ki-moon's offer to assist,” South Africa's UN envoy Dumisani Kumalo told reporters.
At the request of Ban, Britain and the United States had held off on introducing a sanctions draft as the United States, China, Saudi Arabia and South Africa pressed coordinated diplomatic efforts to persuade Khartoum to allow joint AU-UN peacekeeping in Darfur.
Sanctions under consideration include expanding a list of Sudanese officials found responsible for atrocities in Darfur that would be subjected to an assets freeze and a travel ban, extending the existing UN arms embargo in Darfur to the whole of Sudan or imposing a no-fly zone over Darfur.
In 2005, the Security Council approved a resolution that allowed for the seizure of assets and a travel ban against individuals who commit atrocities, impede the peace process in Darfur or “constitute a threat to stability” in the region.
It also extended an existing arms embargo against non-state parties in Darfur to the Sudanese government and specifically prohibited Khartoum from offensive military flights into the region, where an estimated 200,000 people have been killed and at least two million more displaced since 2003.
Meanwhile, The New York Times Wednesday cited a confidential UN report that said Sudan put UN markings on airplanes to fly weapons and bomb villages in strife-torn Darfur in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
The UN report said Darfur rebels were also guilty of violating UN resolutions and humanitarian standards.
Reacting to the story, UN spokeswoman Michele Montas said Ban “views with deep concern the evidence presented to members of the Security Council regarding the flying of arms and heavy weapons into Darfur in violation” of a Security Council resolution.
But Sudan's UN envoy Abdelmahmoud Abdelhaleem dismissed the UN report's “allegations” as “fabrications” and said Khartoum wanted an urgent investigation.
