United States Pressing for U.N. Peacekeepers in Darfur
28 August 2006
U.S. Envoy Bolton says Security Council must uphold its responsibility
United Nations -- Responding to dramatic reports of tragic conditions in Darfur, Sudan, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said he is pressing the Security Council for a resolution to authorize and set a deployment date for a large U.N. peacekeeping operation by the end of August.
After a closed-door Security Council meeting on Darfur August 28, Bolton said that the United States has exerted considerable diplomatic effort to accommodate the concerns of Sudan and some members of the Security Council, but "there comes a time ultimately when you have to stand up and vote."
"Time for talk is over. It is time for action," Bolton told the council during the private meeting according to a text of his remarks released afterwards. "It is time for this council to uphold its responsibility and pass a resolution immediately. . . . every day we delay emboldens those who wish to undermine the fragile peace we have worked so hard to achieve."
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer is currently in Sudan to consult with the government. (See related article.)
One of the reasons the United States is pressing for the resolution is to make it clear that the Security Council intends to implement the Darfur Peace Agreement and expects Sudan and all involved parties to do the same, Bolton said.
Bolton said that even without Sudan's agreement on the peacekeeping force, the Security Council must face its responsibility and adopt the resolution.
"We've made it clear that nobody expects the U.N. force to fight its way into Darfur, but at the same time, for us to simply withhold while the Darfur Peace Agreement itself becomes shakier and shakier . . . risks the situation simply getting out of control," the ambassador said.
The ambassador added that passing the resolution during Ghana's presidency of the Security Council would "show the determination of the council to support the efforts the African Union has already put into making this agreement work."
The draft resolution authorizes up to 17,300 military personnel, 3,300 civilian police personnel and 16 uniformed police units for a Darfur peacekeeping mission under U.N. control and command. Initial troop deployment would begin no later than October 1. (See related article.)
"Every day that we delay in deploying a U.N. peacekeeping operation means more innocent civilians are slaughtered; it means more innocent women and children are raped; it means more people will question the ability of the Security Council to take meaningful and decisive action," Bolton said in his remarks to the Security Council.
"Only a large, mobile, fast-reacting and robust U.N. force, with African forces forming its core, can legitimately and credibly protect civilians, ensure humanitarian access, and fully implement the Darfur Peace Agreement," the ambassador said.
In the meantime, the U.N. can strengthen the African Union peacekeeping mission (AMIS) currently deployed, thus saving hundreds of innocent civilians, Bolton said.
The African Union said that it cannot continue to field its 7,000- troop mission and agreed that the United Nations should take over operations. Sudan President Omar al-Bashir, however, continues to oppose a U.N. peacekeeping force and announced plans to send 10,000 Sudanese troops into the region.
The Security Council called the August 28 meeting expecting to hold talks with the African Union, Arab League and a senior Sudanese official. However, no representative of Sudan attended.
Bolton called the lack of Sudanese representation "disappointing and noticeable."
Giving the council an account of "the bleakest conditions since the spring of 2004" and warning that humanitarian efforts are "close to having a free fall," U.N. aid coordinator Jan Egeland said that it is "very clear we're heading for the abyss . . . now is the time for action."
"We have the worst security situation since 2004; the worst access since 2004 and some of the worst atrocities since 2004. The way it is now it cannot continue," Egeland told journalists.
Many aid organizations are debating whether to leave the region because they cannot provide aid safely. The conditions are dangerous for the workers themselves and they are looking to the Security Council "to put an end to this by political and security measures," he said.
The U.N. official called the Sudanese government's plan to send troops into Darfur "a prescription for complete disaster."
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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