US may force UN vote on Darfur

By Mark Turner
April 17, 2006
The Financial Times
Original Source: http://news.ft.com/cms/s/b291bbf4-ce4c-11da-a032-0000779e2340.html

The US on Monday threatened to force a United Nations vote on sanctions against individuals for war crimes allegedly committed in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, after Russia and China said they would block a British-drafted list to face a travel ban and assets freeze.
Britain, backed by the US and six other countries, officially proposed four names last Thursday – two rebels, one government official and one government-backed militia – for targeted sanctions, for the first time since the Council called for measures in March 2005.
Under the UN’s “silence procedure”, the Council’s Sudan sanctions committee was given two working days to object, or else the list would be adopted. The deadline came yesterday afternoon.
Russia and China, as well as Qatar, on Monday informally told the Council they would object. The African Union has given peace talks in Abuja until April 30 to succeed.
“China believes this is not the right moment since the Abuja process is under way,” said Wang Guangya, Beijing’s UN ambassador.
Andrey Denisov, Russia’s UN ambassador, said: “We have to support this government, not just try to punish it. Not now, maybe later.”
John Bolton, the US he would propose a Security Council resolution instead, with the four names. That changed the dynamic considerably: under the silence procedure, any one country can object, but a Security Council resolution in favour, as long as no permanent member casts a veto.