Sudan letter draws condemnations
By Dennis Louis,WNS Africa Bureau Chief
CAPE TOWN - UN Security Council members have branded "offensive" a letter sent by Sudan warning African and Arab nations not to send peacekeepers to Darfur. The US called an emergency meeting of the council, saying the letter represented "a direct challenge". However, there is no agreement about how to react to Sudan's warning. Some members say it should be ignored. UN chief Kofi Annan said Darfur, which has endured a three-year conflict, was "on the brink of catastrophe".
A 7,000-strong African Union (AU) force has failed to end the conflict - in which 200,000 people have died and two million people have fled their homes. The president of the Security Council for October, Japanese Ambassador Kenzo Oshima, said some members felt "the language [in the letter] was inappropriate and offensive". Mr Oshima said a resolution condemning the letter had been considered, but it was decided to concentrate on how to restore peace in the troubled region.Sudan's letter said that contributing to a proposed UN peacekeeping force would be seen as "a hostile act".
Sudan does not want the UN to take control of the peacekeeping force from the AU, saying that would be an attack on its sovereignty. The council has approved plans to send a 20,000-strong force with a tough mandate but says it will only do so if Sudan agrees. US envoy John Bolton said it demanded "a strong response". Mr Bolton added that if Khartoum was allowed "to intimidate troop-contributing countries", this would mean the failure of UN plans to deploy a robust UN force in Darfur. The council said it was seeking "clarification" of the letter from Sudan's UN ambassador.
posted by wnsworld @ 9:32 AM
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