US and allies ready to impose additional sanctions on Sudan - Khalilzad

Accra, June 19, GNA -- United States (US) and its allies on the UN Security Council will impose additional sanctions against the government of Sudan if it shows any "feet-dragging" regarding its promise to allow the deployment of a hybrid force to end human sufferings in the Darfur region, Dr Zalmay Khalilzad, US Permanent Representative to the UN, has warned.
     Dr Khalilzad told the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Monday that in addition to sanctions, the US and the UK, were considering banning Sudanese military flights into Darfur as a way of increasing pressure on the military government to be committed to the peace process being sponsored by the Africa Union (AU) and the UN.
      He arrived in Accra as part of a 15-member delegation of the UN Security Council currently on a fact-finding mission in Africa. The delegation flew to Accra from the Sudan where it held discussions with the government on the Darfur peace process.
      The delegation also held meetings with officials of the AU in Ethiopia on how to strengthen cooperation in resolving conflicts on the continent.
      The US representative alluded to failed promises made in the past by the Sudanese government but said this time round, Khartoum was unambiguous about its willingness to accept a proposed hybrid force to help bring the level of violence down under the command of the UN.
     "We will be watching this pledge closely and we will be ready to push them to keep their word in case of any feet-dragging regarding the implementation," warned Dr. Khalilzad, who was the immediate past US Ambassador to Iraq (between 2005 and April this year).
      He described the Darfur situation as a great tragedy in which many people died and about two million people displaced. "We think it's at the level of genocide although some people don't want to use that word. This is something we deem very important to bring to an end."
      He said the rebels also contributed to the human sufferings in the Darfur region and urged neighbouring countries, which have influence on them, to encourage them to join the political process.
      "They need to observe the ceasefire. They need to stop attacking humanitarian organizations and allow unhindered access of relief to the people."
      He said US and the UK were ready to sponsor incentives for participation in the Darfur political dialogue and peace process when necessary, adding, "our goal is not a vendetta against President Bashir or Sudan. Our commitment is to stop the killing of the people and ending the humanitarian crisis."
     Dr Khalilzad admitted that the US and its allies on the Council at one point or the other had to do a lot to carry some others with them in their call for sanctions against the Sudanese government because of individual interests. But, he quickly added, that was not unusual considering the multilateral nature of the Council.
     "It depends on the individual interests. We have some countries while expressing concern about the violence, they are reluctant to push forward on the issue, maybe because of business interests or other individual benefit."
      On the way forward, Dr. Khalilzad said an envoy on Darfur had been given a timeline to draw a timetable for the extension of the deployment of the AU-UN hybrid force, as well as the implementation of proposal for sharpening the political engagement and increasing the humanitarian relief.
      However, it would take some more time for the hybrid force to be in place, he said, adding that as soon as the time-table is drawn, the Council will push its implementation.
       US is the single biggest contributor to relief and humanitarian efforts in the Darfur region to the tune of two billion dollars, a commitment Dr Khalilzad said America would not relent on, but rather build on.
     Dr. Khalilzad expressed concern about the inability of willing African countries to raise the needed support to send peacekeepers to Somalia and announced that the US would provide Ghana with military equipment and other logistics for Ghanaian troops to deploy in that country.President Kufuor had told members of the delegation that Ghanaian troops had been on standby, seeking logistic support in order to deploy in Somalia.
     Dr. Khalilzad was also the US Ambassador to Afghanistan between 2003 and 2005. He also served at the National Security Council as special assistant to President George Bush.Dr. Khalilzad has since left Accra on his way back to the US while other members of the delegation, jointly led by UK's Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry and South Africa's Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo continued to the Cote d'Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo.