U.N. Force Can Deploy to Sudan Without Government's Consent
15 September 2006
State's Silverberg says Secretary Rice will discuss Darfur at United Nations
Washington -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other foreign ministers attending the opening of the 61st U.N. General Assembly in New York will hold a “meeting of key partners” to discuss the humanitarian situation in the Darfur region of Sudan and how to proceed with the U.N. peacekeeping operation there.
Speaking at the State Department September 15, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Kristen Silverberg said that at the meeting, scheduled to occur during the week of September 18, the foreign ministers “will commit all of our governments to take steps to end the violence.”
Asked if it would be possible for a U.N. force to be deployed without the consent of the Sudanese government, Silverberg said, “It's absolutely the case” under the terms of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1706, which authorized the peacekeeping force.
She said the United States had insisted that “there be no language in the resolution that required the explicit endorsement of the Sudanese government.”
“Obviously, we would like their cooperation and support. We think that the likelihood of ending the violence is much better if we have support and cooperation from the government of Sudan, but it's not required,” she said.
Sudan has continued to resist calls for it to consent to the peacekeeping force, which has been charged with replacing the overburdened African Union mission in the Darfur region.
Silverberg added that the Bush administration is continuing to hold discussions and work with the Sudanese government in order to “encourage their cooperation and consent,” to the U.N. peacekeepers.
The purpose of Secretary Rice’s meeting in New York will be to “call attention to the situation on the ground, [and] to talk about next steps,” concerning how to deploy the peacekeeping operation “as soon as possible,” how to strengthen the existing African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), and “how we can recommit all of our governments to take collective action, the full international community, to end the violence.”
She said that there would be more to report after the meeting, but said “we expect this meeting to move the ball.”
The U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) already has had “concrete conversations” with many countries about their willingness to contribute to the force, and Silverberg said she believes “the troops are out there.”
However, a number of issues remain, “including will they [the peacekeepers] go into a permissive environment, a semi-permissive environment, or a hostile environment?”
At the United Nations, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said September 15 that the United States is “gravely concerned over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Darfur,” including the possibility of new refugee flows into Chad, and a weak implementation of the region’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement. He also expressed regret over the recent deaths of humanitarian workers.
“We must find a way to help reach a cessation of hostilities in Darfur, to help provide security for the civilians there, and to support a process of dialogue rather than use of arms,” he said. “We look forward to the outcome of next week’s meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council and reiterate our call on the Government of Sudan to welcome deployment of a U.N. peacekeeping force in Darfur.”
For additional information, see Darfur Humanitarian Emergency.
UNITED STATES OPPOSES SECURITY COUNCIL SEAT FOR VENEZUELA
Assistant Secretary Silverberg was asked about the Bush administration’s choice for a secretary-general to succeed Kofi Annan, whose term ends December 31.
She said the United States has not endorsed a candidate but is “very open-minded about the region from which the person comes,” and is primarily focused upon finding a “good manager” who will continue reform of the United Nations and defend human rights.
“This isn't a talk shop, anymore, it's not just a political organization in New York, it's an organization that has more than 70,000 peacekeepers deployed, it has development and humanitarian programs all over the world. So we want somebody who's going to be a good manager and committed to continued reform of the United Nations,” she said.
The assistant secretary also voiced U.S. opposition to the possibility of Venezuela gaining a nonpermanent seat on the Security Council. Venezuela is campaigning against Guatemala for the Latin American seat.
“[I]t's probably no great surprise that we don't think Venezuela would be the best partner on the Security Council,” she said, citing the government’s opposition to global anti-terror efforts and its support for Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Venezuela “demagogue[s] a lot of international mediums and [they] don't behave with seriousness, and at the same time Guatemala, we think, is a good country with a lot to contribute. They participate in peacekeeping missions. They represent the small countries of the U.N., which should have their turn on their Security Council,” she said.
Silverberg also outlined Secretary Rice’s schedule for the week of September 18, which includes meetings with her counterparts in the Security Council and other countries on topics such as Iran, Middle East peace efforts and Afghanistan.
Rice also will attend an event on countering trafficking in wildlife, September 22, which Silverberg said would be “a very interesting event around a partnership to promote wildlife conservation around the world by better enforcing laws against trafficking.”
A transcript of Silverbeg’s briefing is available on the State Department Web site.
For additional information about U.S. policy, see The United States and the United Nations.
(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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