United States Urges Sudan To Accept New U.N. Peacekeepers
31 August 2006
Security Council authorizes 20,000-person peace mission for Darfur
United Nations -- The United States has called on Sudan to accept the newly passed Security Council resolution that authorizes the United Nations to take over peacekeeping operations in Darfur.
The Security Council adopted a resolution August 31 asking the U.N. secretary-general to arrange for the rapid deployment of more than 20,000 military and civilian personnel and 16 police units of the U.N. Mission in Sudan (UNMIS). The vote was 12-0 with China, Russia and Qatar abstaining.
The resolution, co-sponsored by the United States and the United Kingdom, "invites the consent" of the government in Khartoum. It also provides support for the African Union-led forces (AMIS) now in the country, including air, ground and engineering assets.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said it is imperative for the council to move immediately to implement the resolution fully "to stop the tragic events unfolding in Darfur. Every day we delay only adds to the suffering of the Sudanese people and extends the genocide."
Calling on Sudan to cooperate with the United Nations, Bolton pointed out that the resolution "invites the government of Sudan to consent to deployment, though nothing in this language requires their consent. We expect their full and unconditional cooperation and support with the new U.N. peacekeeping force.
"Failure on the government of Sudan's part to do so will significantly undermine the Darfur Peace Agreement and prolong the humanitarian crisis in Darfur," he said.
The ambassador said what is needed from Sudan’s government is "acquiescence."
"Silence gives consent," he told journalists after the meeting. "If there isn't any obstructionism, then the U.N. operation could proceed. We're not looking for billboards on the highway into Khartoum welcoming the U.N."
Following passage of the resolution, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer and Kristen Silverberg, the assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs, spoke to reporters at the State Department in Washington.
Frazer, who had just returned from Sudan where she met with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, called the resolution's passage "the key step to ultimately ending the crisis in Darfur." (See related article.)
The United States, she reiterated, continues to support strengthening the African Union force in Darfur and making the African Union force the core of a U.N. mission in Darfur.
Silverberg added: "We're very pleased by the step the council took today in passing this resolution. We think it lays the groundwork for an effective multilateral intervention in Sudan to help bring an end to the violence."
With that, she said, "we'll now begin the hard work of working with DPKO [the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations] and with all of our U.N. partners to begin to build this force of up to 17,000 military personnel, and up to 3,000 civilian police, with a substantial African element at the core of the mission."
Significant logistical work already has taken place at the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations, she said, and with the passage of the resolution, "we can begin finalizing those details and begin deployment as soon as possible."
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. But Sudan strongly has opposed a U.N.-led force.
Nevertheless, the sponsors of the resolution said they do not expect UNMIS to fight its way into the region. The resolution allows the United Nations to finalize the extensive planning and logistical work needed to field such a major peacekeeping operation and provide for a smooth transition from AMIS to the United Nations. It is also a strong signal of the Security Council's determination to live up to its responsibilities to the people of Darfur, they said.
The resolution authorizes the U.N. peacekeepers to "use all necessary means" to protect U.N. facilities and personnel, ensure the freedom of movement of U.N. personnel and humanitarian workers and prevent attacks and threats against civilians. U.N. troops will be stationed in buffer zones and demilitarized zones and inside camps for internally displaced persons.
UNMIS also will monitor movements of government troops and rebel groups, seize or collect weapons that violate cease-fire and peace agreements, and help with the implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement.
The council has set September 8 for a high-level meeting to discuss the situation with Sudanese officials and representatives from other organizations such as the African Union, the Arab League and the Islamic Conference.
For further information, see Darfur Humanitarian Emergency.
(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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