mikescott
25-07-2004, 12:48 PM
All those who believe that the UN is the appropriate forum to take action against crimes against humanity, tyranny and plain thuggery, take note of what has just happened in the UN - no action against the genocide in Sudan.
Get ready to read the squillion reasons from the hypocrites as to why it's not the UN at fault but the Western world's fault. [^]
Two million Sudanese are being murdered: CongressBy Evelyn Leopold in New York
July 25, 2004
The Sun-Herald
Sudan lurched deeper into crisis yesterday as the split among world leaders about how to solve the problems of 2 million starving people widened.
The US Congress declared that the killings in Sudan's Darfur region were genocide and urged a reluctant President George Bush to intervene.
A resolution passed unanimously in the House of Representatives, with the Senate's endorsement, urged Mr Bush to "call the atrocities by their rightful name: genocide".
Under the 1948 United Nations genocide convention, all the signatories "undertake to prevent and to punish" genocide wherever it occurs.
Congress took the first step down this path with a resolution stating that Khartoum's Arab regime was carrying out a genocidal campaign against the black African population.
It cited the testimony of UN staff in Darfur who said the "systemised" violence "appears to be particularly directed at a specific group based on ethnic identity".
The vote was taken as General Sir Mike Jackson, Britain's Chief of the General Staff, said in London that Britain could send 5000 troops to help tackle the crisis in Sudan.
"If need be, I suspect we could put a brigade together very quickly indeed," he said.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Thursday that Britain had a "moral duty" to help Darfur's refugees. He said the Government was not at the stage of sending troops but had not ruled out any options.
But Russia, China, Pakistan and Algeria last night opposed a threat of sanctions against Sudan in a US-drafted UN resolution aimed at keeping the pressure on Khartoum until atrocities against civilians in Darfur stop.
At initial Security Council negotiations on a revised draft, envoys said there was no agreement on a provision demanding Sudan face unspecified UN sanctions within 30 days if it did not arrest and prosecute Arab militia leaders, called Janjaweed, accused of abusing civilians.
The 15-month conflict has killed at least 30,000 people, forced villagers into concentration-camp type compounds and left 2 million people without enough food and medicine in the Sudan's Western Darfur.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said they were confident the resolution would be adopted.
The US draft demands Sudan "apprehend and bring to justice Janjaweed leaders and their associates who have incited and carried out" the abuse.
It expresses the Security Council's "intention to consider further actions, including the imposition of sanctions on the Government of Sudan, in the event of noncompliance".
The new resolution calls for an immediate weapons ban on armed groups in Darfur. No one objected to that except Germany, which wants a complete arms embargo, diplomats said.
UN officials said there were no volunteers for a multinational force, which leaves sanctions as the strongest weapon. "It is not a simple military solution," Mr Powell said.
Chad officials told international relief groups, including UNHCR, yesterday that order had been restored in two camps about 50 kilometres from the Sudanese border and it was safe for aid workers to return.
A UNHCR official said it would proceed cautiously.
Displaced Darfuris in Khartoum said they had doubts about the international community's commitment.
"We were told that the United Nations would make us safe, but we waited so long in Darfur and no one came to make us safe. I'm not sure if we will be safe," said Khadija, an 18-year-old who said she had been abducted by militiamen in Darfur but escaped.
Get ready to read the squillion reasons from the hypocrites as to why it's not the UN at fault but the Western world's fault. [^]
Two million Sudanese are being murdered: CongressBy Evelyn Leopold in New York
July 25, 2004
The Sun-Herald
Sudan lurched deeper into crisis yesterday as the split among world leaders about how to solve the problems of 2 million starving people widened.
The US Congress declared that the killings in Sudan's Darfur region were genocide and urged a reluctant President George Bush to intervene.
A resolution passed unanimously in the House of Representatives, with the Senate's endorsement, urged Mr Bush to "call the atrocities by their rightful name: genocide".
Under the 1948 United Nations genocide convention, all the signatories "undertake to prevent and to punish" genocide wherever it occurs.
Congress took the first step down this path with a resolution stating that Khartoum's Arab regime was carrying out a genocidal campaign against the black African population.
It cited the testimony of UN staff in Darfur who said the "systemised" violence "appears to be particularly directed at a specific group based on ethnic identity".
The vote was taken as General Sir Mike Jackson, Britain's Chief of the General Staff, said in London that Britain could send 5000 troops to help tackle the crisis in Sudan.
"If need be, I suspect we could put a brigade together very quickly indeed," he said.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Thursday that Britain had a "moral duty" to help Darfur's refugees. He said the Government was not at the stage of sending troops but had not ruled out any options.
But Russia, China, Pakistan and Algeria last night opposed a threat of sanctions against Sudan in a US-drafted UN resolution aimed at keeping the pressure on Khartoum until atrocities against civilians in Darfur stop.
At initial Security Council negotiations on a revised draft, envoys said there was no agreement on a provision demanding Sudan face unspecified UN sanctions within 30 days if it did not arrest and prosecute Arab militia leaders, called Janjaweed, accused of abusing civilians.
The 15-month conflict has killed at least 30,000 people, forced villagers into concentration-camp type compounds and left 2 million people without enough food and medicine in the Sudan's Western Darfur.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said they were confident the resolution would be adopted.
The US draft demands Sudan "apprehend and bring to justice Janjaweed leaders and their associates who have incited and carried out" the abuse.
It expresses the Security Council's "intention to consider further actions, including the imposition of sanctions on the Government of Sudan, in the event of noncompliance".
The new resolution calls for an immediate weapons ban on armed groups in Darfur. No one objected to that except Germany, which wants a complete arms embargo, diplomats said.
UN officials said there were no volunteers for a multinational force, which leaves sanctions as the strongest weapon. "It is not a simple military solution," Mr Powell said.
Chad officials told international relief groups, including UNHCR, yesterday that order had been restored in two camps about 50 kilometres from the Sudanese border and it was safe for aid workers to return.
A UNHCR official said it would proceed cautiously.
Displaced Darfuris in Khartoum said they had doubts about the international community's commitment.
"We were told that the United Nations would make us safe, but we waited so long in Darfur and no one came to make us safe. I'm not sure if we will be safe," said Khadija, an 18-year-old who said she had been abducted by militiamen in Darfur but escaped.