UN council split over Darfur approach
By John Heilprin
Associated Press
July 28, 2008
Original Source: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hiYzjM0jZqWJhqUVjr8WqUL8awMQD9277AD80

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States said Monday it would be premature for the United Nations Security Council to suspend efforts to prosecute Sudan's president on allegations of war crimes in the Darfur region.
In closed talks, the U.S. and two other key council members, Britain and France, argued that the International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo should be given time to get a warrant for the arrest of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.
To protect one person, by suspending the application of what Mr. Ocampo has proposed at this point is premature, American ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad told reporters outside the council's chambers, strongly emphasizing the words at this point.
That could give Western nations more negotiating power eventually with the Sudanese leader, even if the prosecution were later suspended for a year.
Libya and South Africa, backed by veto-wielding council members Russia and China, say pursuing war crimes charges against al-Bashir could place peacekeeping troops in added danger.
There are also concerns that an arrest warrant now would complicate diplomatic efforts to reach a peace agreement for the troubled region.
Ocampo indicted al-Bashir on three counts of genocide, five of crimes against humanity and two of war crimes for allegedly masterminding a campaign of extermination and rape targeting three Darfur tribes as part of the government's campaign to quell a rebellion. The United Nations says about 300,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been uprooted over the past five years.
The African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission's mandate in Sudan's Darfur region expires at the end of July. Khalilzad said he expected the council to vote Wednesday to renew the mission for another year without inserting language on al-Bashir's prosecution.
He also sought to link the human rights records of Sudan and Zimbabwe. So we have a division in the council at this point. Some of the countries that voted against sanctions on Zimbabwe, against Mr. Mugabe ... are the ones that are pushing for the suspension of Mr. Ocampo's recommendation, Khalilzad said.
He was referring to the U.S.-led effort to impose sanctions against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe that was vetoed two weeks ago by Russia and China, the other two council members with that power.
The prosecution of al-Bashir pulls at the U.S. in different ways. President Bush has been outspoken in labeling the situation in Darfur as genocide, but the U.S. has long opposed the court out of fear it could be used against U.S. troops or leaders.
The dispute over allegations of al-Bashir's involvement in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians in the nation's Darfur region led to intensive discussions in the 15-nation council, said Vietnam's ambassador, Le Luong Minh, whose nation holds the council's presidency this month. Vietnam, he said, believes shares the concerns the prosecution could compromise peace.