Annan welcomes peace agreement on Darfur, stresses need for speed and aid
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today welcomed the peace agreement on Darfur signed between the Government of Sudan and the main rebel group at the inter-Sudanese talks in Abuja, and he urged the two parties outside the deal to “sign and seize the moment” to end this “tragic chapter” in the history of the country.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Annan also emphasized that there is an urgent need for more humanitarian assistance to Darfur and said that once an agreement is concluded in the region the international community would also have to move very quickly to have the right impact on the ground.
“The implementation of the agreement, once concluded, would require that we immediately begin to strengthen the African Union force on the ground so that they can begin implementation of the critical aspects of the agreement,” he said.
“We would also need to intensify our own humanitarian efforts, and we need the resources required to do this, and as you know we have so far received only twenty per cent of the resources required.”
He also called on the Government of Sudan to allow a UN assessment team to visit the region to make preparations for the transition from the African Union (AU) force to one from the world body.
“Now is the time for them to allow the assessment mission to go in, for us to move expeditiously, and I do intend to be in touch with the Sudanese authorities precisely on this point.”
Mr. Annan also emphasized the need for humanitarian assistance for Darfur, where some 180,000 people have been killed and some 2 million uprooted from their homes in three years of fighting between the Government, pro-Government militias and rebels in a region that is about the size of France.
“The U.S. has been very generous, but we are looking at the other traditional donors in Europe, and we are also trying to expand the donor base and we are reaching out to the Gulf States and governments with capacity to step in and help,” he said. “All hands on deck; and whoever can make a contribution, we would urge them to do it - not leave it to governments alone.”
Earlier in the day in Washington, the Secretary-General made a similar call for international assistance to the people of Darfur, saying their human rights have been violated in the most “appalling” way, and describing the situation in that part of Sudan as an “inexcusable tragedy.”
Speaking at George Washington University, in the first of a series of annual lectures on the United States-UN relationship, Mr. Annan also stressed the need for nations to work together to protect human rights and called on the US to be “fully engaged” in this effort despite the fact that Washington has decided not to stand for election to the new Human Rights Council.
“In theory at least, the UN’s Member States took an important step last September, when they agreed that each state has the responsibility to protect its populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity,” he said, referring to language on the issue adopted by the 2005 World Summit in its Outcome Document.
“But these fine words will ring hollow so long as people in Darfur are still being driven from their homes subjected to intolerable suffering.”
Mr. Annan also highlighted the fact that because the African Union (AU) force has neither the resources, equipment, nor mandate to “protect most of those whose lives are being threatened,” the Union had decided in principle to support the transition to a UN peacekeeping operation, although he noted this would take time.
“Even in the best-case scenario, the AU will be expected to shoulder this immense challenge for several more months. It deserves the international community’s help. The lives of the people of Darfur depend on it.”
On the subject of human rights in general, Mr. Annan expressed his “regret” at the US decision not to stand in next Tuesday’s elections for the newly established Human Rights Council, which replaced the much criticized Human Rights Commission, but said the US can still have “a great influence, both on the composition of the Council and on the decisions of its members once they are elected.”
Mr. Annan expressed conviction that a wide spectrum of US society would make its views known. “I trust that Americans will be fully engaged in the debate. And by ‘Americans’ I mean not only the Administration but members of Congress, pressure groups like Human Rights Watch, and – not least – experts from great universities like this one. Now is the time for all who really care about human rights to be fully engaged.”
Mr. Annan, who accepted an honorary degree from the University, also spoke of the global leadership role to be played by the US and said this was consistent with working with the UN, because the world body was “all about friends and allies working together, and about building coalitions. It is also about democracy.”
“I see no hope of a peaceful and stable future for humanity in this century unless the United States provides strong and enlightened global leadership. But I do not believe the US can do this on its own.”
“Never in history can humanity have faced so many challenges that affect not just one nation or region, but the whole human race; and which call for a global response. At such a time, international cooperation is not a choice. Nor is a global organization a luxury. They are necessities.”