UNSC headed for a vote on resolution endorsing AU roadmap for north &
south Sudan
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May 1, 2012 (WASHINGTON) – The United Nations Security Council (UNSC)
appears headed for a vote on a U.S. draft resolution that requires
Khartoum and Juba to return to the negotiating table or face
non-military measures under article 41 of the UN charter.
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The United Nations Security Council (Reuters)
Intervention by the UNSC was requested by the African Union Peace and
Security Council (AUPSC) in a communiqué it issued last week following
a meeting it held to discuss the quickly deteriorating situation
between north and south Sudan.
Armies of the neighboring nations clashed last month in the oil-rich
Heglig region after South Sudan’s army managed to occupy it for ten
days. Sudan’s army managed to take it back though Juba insists it
withdrew voluntarily.
This was the worst fighting between the two sides since South Sudan
split from the north to become an independent nation in July 2011.
Many observers believe that the fighting was a direct result of
failure by Khartoum and Juba to reach an agreement on several key
post-secession issues namely oil, borders, Abyei, citizenship and
external debt.
Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir said last month that his
country is no longer interested in talks with the south because the
latter only understands the "language of the gun". However, Bashir’s
foreign minister Ali Karti later said they can only sit down for
security negotiations.
The AUPSC declaration sets a timeframe for re-launching negotiations
and reaching an agreement between north and south Sudan that were all
reflected in the proposed UNSC resolution. It also calls for cessation
of hostilities, withdrawal of troops from contested regions such as
Abyei and ending any backing to rebel groups on the other side of the
borders.
Sudan rejected the UNSC intervention in the matter and appeared
critical of the AUPSC for involving the council. Officials in Khartoum
are concerned that the resolution will pave the way for
internationalization of north-south conflict and also the insurgencies
in Blue Nile and South Kordofan border states.
Bashir has scrapped an AU-brokered agreement signed by his aide in
June 2011 with Sudan People Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) which
is fighting the Sudanese army in those two states. He ordered the army
to crush the rebellion and rejected any negotiations with its
"outlawed" leaders.
The UNSC will order Khartoum and SPLM-N to cooperate with the mediation efforts.
"[The UNSC] Decides that the Government of Sudan and the SPLM-North
shall extend full cooperation to the AUHIP and the Chair of IGAD, to
reach a negotiated settlement on the basis of the June 28, 2011
Framework Agreement on Political Partnership between NCP and SPLM-N
and Political and Security Arrangements in Blue Nile and Southern
Kordofan States".
It also urges the two sides to "accept the tripartite proposal
submitted by the African Union, the United Nations and the League of
Arab States, to permit humanitarian access to the affected population
in the two areas".
Failure to compliance with the Chapter VII resolution could prompt the
council to consider measures incorporated in article 41 of the UN
charter such as economic sanctions.
China and Russia, two of Sudan’s traditional allies at the UNSC, were
reluctant to allow for the sanctions threat to be included in the
draft resolution but it appears unlikely that they will veto it should
the vote proceed as planned on Wednesday.
"They oppose even the mention of Article 41," one diplomat told AFP.
"This time it is less the Russians and more the Chinese," another
senior Western diplomat told Agence France Presse (AFP) on condition
of anonymity.
"If they keep on not liking it, they might abstain. I don’t think they
will veto," the envoy added.
The diplomat noted that since the request came from the AU it may be
difficult for either permanent members to block it.
"It is much more difficult for the Chinese and Russians to say no to
an AU request than a western plan," the envoy said.
This week, Sudanese foreign minister met with his Russian counterpart
Sergei Lavrov in Moscow seeking a stance against the resolution.
But Lavrov expressed general support to the resolution and even the
threat of possible sanctions in the event of non-compliance.
The resolution "says that the Security Council will consider the
sides’ actions, and depending on how they implement this resolution,
the Council intends to discuss possible further steps," Lavrov told
reporters.
"Yes, it may include measures of economic pressure. But I would repeat
that this is not an automatic decision, but only an intention
depending on how the resolution is implemented," he added.
Sudan made a formal preliminary acceptance of the AU roadmap in a
letter sent by Karti to AU commission chairman Jean Ping on Sunday.
According to state media, Khartoum nonetheless expressed reservations
on unspecified portions of the plan.
(ST)
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