Sudan's Government must protect civilians in Darfur, Annan and Powell say

As Security Council members consider a draft resolution aimed at redressing the catastrophic humanitarian conditions prevailing in western Sudan's Darfur region, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and United States Secretary of State Colin Powell today called for the Sudanese Government to protect civilians there.

"We both agree that the international community must insist that the Sudanese Government honour the commitments it gave when we both visited Sudan," Mr. Annan told reporters at a joint press conference with Mr. Powell following their meeting. Both were in Darfur some three weeks ago.

"It is important that the internally displaced people (IDP) be protected," the Secretary-General added. "It is a sacred responsibility of the Government of Sudan to do that, and eventually disarm the Janjaweed and the other militia in the region."

He emphasized the need to get more aid into the region, widely considered the site of the world's worst humanitarian crisis. "We need food, we need non-food items, we need to work on sanitation, we need logistical support, we need helicopters, we need planes, and we are appealing to governments to give us the necessary tools to do our work."

Mr. Powell said there had been "some modest improvement in access" in Darfur and called for the world's humanitarian organizations "to take advantage of this" by rushing aid in.

Voicing dissatisfaction with the prevailing instability, he said: "The burden for providing security rests fully on the Sudanese Government."

Responding to questions, the Secretary-General stressed that a mechanism set up to monitor whether Sudan is making good on pledges - made in a joint communiqué adopted during his trip - would be issuing regular reports that could serve as a basis for further action. "It is not as if we signed the agreement and walked away," Mr. Annan said. "There will be constant monitoring."

Pledging to keep up pressure on the Government, he said Security Council members are "very seriously" discussing a draft resolution on Khartoum.

During the Security Council luncheon earlier today "the reactions were quite positive to the resolution, and my sense is that be successful," he said.

Mr. Powell added: "A revised resolution that puts down specific timelines and carries the possibility of sanctions being imposed at the end of the initial time segment that's been given will be discussed actively among Security Council members in the days ahead, and I hope action will be taken in the not-too-distant future."

On the broader effort to achieve peace, the US Secretary of State said, "The Secretary-General and I have both been working with the rebel side to encourage them to get back to the table so that discussions can take place that will find a political solution to this terrible crisis."

More than a million Sudanese in Darfur are internally displaced and another 180,000 live as refugees in neighbouring Chad because of the fighting and militia attacks perpetrated by Arab Janjaweed fighters recruited and armed by the Khartoum Government. Those militias have carried out numerous human rights violations against the region's black African population.

Video of remarks to the press [18mins]