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Ugly business at the UN Published September 3, 2004 The United Nations Security Council heard a progress report on Thursday about the impact of a resolution it adopted a month ago demanding that Sudan put a stop to the atrocities in its western province of Darfur. Guess what: Nothing much has happened. Even ardent supporters of the UN must be unnerved by the organization's pathetic impotence in the tragedy of Sudan. As many as 1,500 people may have perished in just the last month while the UN diddled. No one can accuse the U.S. of ignoring the Darfur catastrophe. This nation was among the first to provide humanitarian aid and continues to be the largest donor of such assistance. Last month the U.S. pushed for a UN resolution that threatened sanctions lest Sudan act to curb the killing and torture of Darfurians. After much harrumphing, the Security Council settled on a resolution that amounted to not much more than a plea for Sudan to behave nicely. Part of the problem is the bureaucratic sclerosis at the UN. Things are debated to death. A major obstacle in this particular case, though, is the cynical diplomacy of China and Russia, two permanent members of the Security Council who hold veto power over actions by that body. Russia sells a modest amount of weapons to Sudan and would like to become a larger sales agent there. In July Russia delivered 12 MiG-29 jet fighters to Sudan, to conclude a previous deal. Were any of them used in the slaughter of Darfurians? The Russians don't seem to know or care. China is heavily involved in oil exploration, extraction and exports from Sudan, amounting to about $1 billion a year. Russia and China are placing the protection of their business interests over the protection of tens of thousands of lives. As a result, the UN has once again been reduced to being a feckless collection of hand-wringers. The only ray of mercy in this dismal situation is that Sudan may be making it easier for humanitarian supplies to get through. In effect, it is allowing humanitarian supplies to reach the very people it continues to terrorize. Those countries that see in Sudan a humanitarian crisis rather than a business opportunity will have to focus on the extension of financial support to neighboring states in Africa, which are witnessing the killing at close range. The only realistic option to end the budding genocide in Sudan is the intervention by the 53-member African Union. The AU has sent 120 unarmed observers, and Nigeria and Rwanda have committed another 150. That is a pitifully small contingent. But it is a seed of an idea that could be fleshed out by financial commitments by the U.S. and the European Union to cover the cost of larger peacekeeping forces led by African nations. The U.S. has signaled it is prepared to do this. Outside intervention in Sudan, even by African forces, is still a long shot. The only certainty is that, while UN diplomats deliberate in their comfortable quarters in New York, civilians in Darfur will continue to be terrorized and killed by the thousands. Copyright � 2004, Chicago Tribune |
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