Moscow Defends Sudan Sales, Nixes Sanctions
Combined Reports
UNITED NATIONS - Russia on Friday rejected U.S. criticism of its sales of military aircraft to Sudan and moved to block efforts to impose UN sanctions against Khartoum for not doing enough to end atrocities against civilians in Darfur. At initial Security Council negotiations, Russia, China, Pakistan and Algeria all opposed a U.S.-drafted resolution aimed at keeping the pressure on Khartoum. Envoys at the talks said there was no agreement on a provision demanding that Sudan face unspecified UN sanctions within 30 days if it did not arrest and prosecute Arab militia leaders, called Janjaweed, accused of abusing civilians. The 15-month conflict has killed at least 30,000 people, forced villagers into concentration-camp type compounds and left 2 million people without enough food and medicine in Sudan's Western region of Darfur. Although there is no outright opposition to the draft and strong support from Europeans, diplomats said Russia, China, Pakistan and Algeria objected to using the word "sanctions," against Khartoum, preferring only a threat of "further action." The U.S. draft resolution demands Sudan "apprehend and bring to justice." It expresses the council's "intention to consider further actions, including the imposition of sanctions on the government of Sudan, in the event of noncompliance." Late Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell warned Sudan it could face sanctions if it doesn't move quickly. Both Powell and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan stressed that the Sudanese government can end the 15-month conflict. "The burden for providing security rests fully with the Sudanese government," Powell told reporters after a meeting with Annan. In Moscow, the Foreign Ministry defended state-owned MiG's early deliveries to Sudan of MiG warplanes, saying the deal for 10 fighters and 2 trainers was signed three years ago and is in no way linked to the upswell of violence in the west of the African country. Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko, quoted by Russian news agencies, issued his response a day after a U.S. congressional resolution describing atrocities in western Sudan's Darfur region as "genocide". Yakovenko was quoted as saying that Russia's sale of MiG-29 fighter jets had been completed on the basis of a longstanding contract pre-dating the unrest in Darfur between Arab nomads and non-Arab farmers. "At issue here is fulfillment of a contract to supply Russian MiG-29 fighters signed with our Sudanese partners in 2001," Yakovenko was quoted as saying. "The implementation of previously concluded agreements with the Sudanese government to supply military equipment is in no way linked to recent events in and around Sudan." Russia, Yakovenko was quoted as saying, supported international efforts "to normalize the situation in Sudan's Darfur province, end armed clashes and provide immediate, unhindered assistance to civilians". The head of Russia's state-owned aircraft manufacturer MiG, Valery Toryanin, said last week the company had fulfilled its contract to supply 10 MiG-29SE fighters and two MiG-29UB trainers. He said further contracts could follow. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told a briefing in Washington on Thursday that if deliveries were taking place, "the United States would view this with grave concern". He declared Sudan a "state sponsor of terrorism" and said the crisis in Darfur was "cause for strong opposition to any transfers to Sudan." (Reuters, AP)
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