US ambassador raps Libya over Darfur
By JOHN HEILPRIN –
13 hours ago
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said Thursday the United States was "deeply disappointed" by the U.N. Security Council's failure to reach unanimous agreement on a statement condemning the escalating civilian losses in Sudan's Darfur region.
Libya blocked the 15-nation council this week from issuing a presidential statement, which carries less weight than a binding resolution but still has heft because of international consensus.
"We're really quite deeply disappointed that the Security Council after over a week of effort couldn't reach consensus on a clear presidential statement that would have condemned the increased bloodshed in Darfur," Rice told The Associated Press.
"We had hoped to have a presidential statement that would have spoken with one voice in condemning the ongoing violence," she said.
Supporters argued the council statement could encourage peace at a critical time when Darfur rebels and Sudan government officials are exchanging blame for undermining peace talks and U.N. officials anticipate an international arrest warrant against Sudan's president for alleged war crimes.
"It's important in any case for the council to speak authoritatively and with one voice on something as serious as an ongoing genocide," said Rice, who also met Thursday with Sudan's U.N. ambassador, Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamed.
The draft statement backed by the U.S. would have called on Sudan's government and the rebels of the Justice and Equality Movement to ease fighting in Darfur, where rebel groups complaining of discrimination and neglect took up arms against the government in 2003.
It also would have deplored a recent offensive by the rebel movement and expressed "grave concern" at the Sudan government's response including intensified aerial bombing.
"But the process got politicized and ultimately it was one country which ... blew it up," Rice said. "Two days ago we were very close to consensus, and one country insisted on making what was a balanced statement highly imbalanced."
Libya objected to language connecting Sudan's government to the aerial bombing and the proposed calls for it and all other military action to stop. The six years of fighting has left 300,000 people dead and 2.7 million displaced, according to U.N. figures.
