Of course Bush needs to follow suit as well. But if congress adopts it, he'll probably be forced to go along with it. Who wants to place bets on this one? I bet sanctions are going to stall in the UN.

quote:

Sudanese Criticize U.S. Genocide Resolution Fri Jul 23, 2004 06:57 AM ET Printer Friendly | Email Article | Reprints | RSS (Page 1 of 2) By Nima Elbagir KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese Arabs Friday slammed a U.S. congressional resolution declaring genocide in the western region of Darfur, while Darfuris asked what Washington would do now to make it safe for them to go back home. "Is Iraq not enough? Do they want to destroy us too? ... America wants everyone who is Arab (in Sudan) to pay. They do not understand anything," said Ismail Gasmalseed, a 34-year-old driver in Khartoum. The U.S. Congress approved the resolution Thursday and its supporters hope it will help mobilize the international community to protect Africans in Darfur from Arab militias. But the accusation of genocide is highly controversial and has not been formally adopted by the U.S. administration, the United Nations, Darfuri rebels or most of the humanitarian organizations working on the ground in the remote region. The Arab militias, known as the Janjaweed, have been driving non-Arab villagers off their land in Darfur in an extension of a long conflict over farmland and grazing. The conflict has displaced more than one million people in the region. Ibrahim Ahmed, a Sudanese political analyst, said it was clear that there was no legal basis for saying genocide was under way in Darfur, otherwise the U.S. administration's lawyers would have adopted the term. "But what is equally obvious is that the American public thinks that it is genocide and therefore getting Congress to rule on this was a politically expedient way of mollifying public opinion while circumnavigating the legalities," he added. Yasir Abdullah, a journalist from northern Sudan, said the U.S. Congress and administration did not understand the roots of the Darfur conflict and were dealing with it very superficially. "They are biased and have their own agenda. Sanctions will not harm the government, they will harm the people. Have they not learned this yet?" he told Reuters. A PLAN IN STAGES The Bush administration has drafted a U.N. resolution threatening sanctions if the Sudanese government does not disarm the Janjaweed and remove all restrictions on access to Darfur. The Sudanese government says it is trying to comply but it will take time to implement its plans. "We don't pretend that the situation has come back to normal," Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail told the French daily Le Monde in an interview published Friday. "There exists a real problem which has to be resolved on a humanitarian, political and security level and we intend to do that... But one has to understand that we are applying a plan that is working in stages," he added. Displaced Darfuris in Khartoum took some comfort from the congressional resolution but said they had some doubts about the international community's commitment to intervene. "We were told that the United Nations would make us safe, but we waited so long in Darfur and no one came to make us safe. I'm not sure if we will be safe. Can America sleep with us in our houses?" asked Khadija, an 18-year-old woman who said she was abducted by militiamen in Darfur but escaped. "I think if they say they will make us safe then they will, but why did they wait so long?" added Hawaa, another abductee. Ismail said the Sudanese authorities expected to send 6,000 policemen into Darfur and 3,000 of those were now ready to work. But a rebel spokesman in Darfur said the new policemen were Janjaweed in disguise, issued with uniforms and new weapons. The Arab militias attacked twice in Darfur this week despite government promises that it is cracking down on them, Abu Bakr Hamid al-Nur, general coordinator of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), said. Nur told Reuters by telephone that police forces including some of the Arab militias attacked rebels Wednesday in the Orshi area north of el-Fasher, capital of North Darfur state. Two days earlier Janjaweed killed more than 30 people and kidnapped many women and children at Kfour, between el-Fasher and Kutum, about 120 km (75 miles) to the northwest, he added. http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle....68&pageNumber=1

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Retro ...

Sanctions will stall in the UN, and the French will be able to take most of the credit. This is, of course, unfortunate...seeing as the French did a nice job of screwing up huge portions of that continent, and now see it fit to completely ignore their problems.

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FLUSHED THE JOHNS!

Cmon doesn't history teach us any lessons about the way the world will react. We shall sit by and debate and talk and wait for the problem to solve itself, nothing new there. Dare the U.S. to send any form of troops to help security in the Sudan, many will liken it to Iraq, no matter the rationale, just like the poor excuse for a government in the Sudan is doing now already.

I'm still waiting for this global, multilateral world instrument so highly tauted to step up for the black Africans in Sudan, if you see that instrument in action let me know, or will we continue to dther about what is a genocide while women and children die of starvation, mass exodus and subject to squalor camps in Chad. The world is all talk and no action in the end, as always. That is the disgusting human reality in which we live, mankind never learns from our mistakes about such behaviors. As for the French and Europe's reaction to the Sudan situation in particular, No Comment is suited for it, some things never change.

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quote:

The Arab militias, known as the Janjaweed, have been driving non-Arab villagers off their land in Darfur in an extension of a long conflict over farmland and grazing. The conflict has displaced more than one million people in the region.

this calls for US intervention, damn terrorists again.

>JM<

quote:

Originally posted by imokruok Sanctions will stall in the UN, and the French will be able to take most of the credit. This is, of course, unfortunate...seeing as the French did a nice job of screwing up huge portions of that continent, and now see it fit to completely ignore their problems.

ah i'm sure the people of europe understand. after all, the french are not very well liked there as well.

>JM<

quote:

Originally posted by JM this calls for US intervention, damn terrorists again. >JM<

NOthing like beating terrorism with terrorism!

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quote:

Originally posted by Cyrus King NOthing like beating terrorism with terrorism!

cry me a river, son.

>JM<

looks like the US is in another lose-lose situation.

My bet is that Bush will call it by its name and demand action, but refuse to go it alone (which he shouldn't as Sudan doesn't pose a threat to US national interest). The rest of the world will drop the ball on this one. But I'll bet the USA gets the ball rolling.

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This is a very unfortunate situation as this is exactly the type of conflict the West should send troops in. However, afer Iraq I would imagine America would be very reluctant to send in troops for a number of reasons...the criticism they are likely to face from the same people who opposed Iraq (even if those people might well have supported sending in troops had Iraq not happened); the domestic unpopularity of staging another military adventure (especially in this election year); the fact that it is just as likely to go tits up as the Iraq war; and the most important factor...Sudan poses no threat to American national security and America stands to gain fuck all from helping...

This situation demands action, not debate. I saw a headline in a UK newspaper that said the UK was not ruling out sending in troops and I would be so proud (especially after our involvement in Iraq) if we actually dd summat good for a change.

Maybe this is the perfect oppertunity for the EU to put their money where their mouth is and mount a St Petersburg task in the country? There is no way anyone should be opposed to helping the people in this country with external military assistance...