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August 25, 2004
Sudan
Well things are looking no clearer with regard to British involvement in the crisis in Darfur. On the positive side, it is a relief that Blair has dropped any idea of direct military intervention by British forces, an approach that left me filled with dread.But that's about it for positives. For starters, anyone listening to Jack Straw speaking in Darfur would be left with the abiding impression that British policy was now to take a softly, softly approach, giving Khartoum more time to act rather than keeping up the pressure on the GoS. Now the UN deadline runs out on Monday, and it will be interesting to see what Britain's stance is with regard to sanctions. My suspicion is that there will be some serious back-pedalling, considering statements such as:
My core message to the president was that the UK’s interests and the interests of the international community are the same as those of the president and government of Sudan
Hardly the strongest of language there. And according to British officials, a UN embargo on oil exports is unlikely to be called for by the UN Security Council. Which makes Jack Straw's denial that the international community was going soft on Sudan appear a little disingeneous. The African Union is trying to resolve the situation, but any weakening in the resolve of the international community will undermine their efforts, and the Union needs all the support it can get.
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Posted by Clive on August 25, 2004 11:33 AM in the category Old Stuff