U.S. calls for sanctions on Sudan
From CNN Senior U.N. Correspondent Richard Roth
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UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The United States is calling for U.N. sanctions against Sudan if the Khartoum government does not stop militia attacks in the Darfur region.
An estimated one million people have been displaced due to fighting between ethnic Arab militia and black rebel groups in western Sudan since fighting broke out last year.
The United States is circulating a draft resolution that would for the first time target sanctions against the Sudanese government.
While the Bush administration did not define the sanctions, the draft resolution submitted to the U.N. Security Council also demands the government of Sudan arrest the militia leaders involved.
The amended draft says if there is no compliance by the Sudanese government in 30 days, the Security Council will "look to take action" -- including the imposition of sanctions.
On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell met for the second time in three weeks with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan on the crisis.
Annan said monitoring groups would provide the United Nations with regular reports on progress in the region.
"We both agree that the international community must insist that the Sudanese government honor the commitments it gave when we both visited Sudan," Annan said, referring to a trip that both men made earlier this month.
The two also called on the international community to take advantage of a slight improvement in humanitarian access to Darfur to send food and equipment.
Sudan accuses the United States of meddling in its affairs and says U.N. sanctions would only complicate the Darfur crisis.
The conflict began in February 2003, when two black African groups accused the Islamic government in Khartoum of neglecting Darfur in favor of the country's Arab population.
The government allegedly responded by setting up the Arab militia group Janjaweed to put down the rebellion.
Human rights groups estimate that 15,000 to 30,000 civilians have been killed in Darfur, a region of western Sudan about the size of France, and more than 1.2 million people have been left homeless.
Peace talks between the rebels and the African Union broke down in June.
Powell said the security situation in the region is still not satisfactory.
"And the burden for this, for providing security, rests fully on the Sudanese government. They have the responsibility, they have been supporting and sustaining some of these Janjaweed elements," Powell told reporters.
But Powell deflected questions on whether the situation in Darfur constitutes genocide.
"Now whatever you call it, it's a catastrophe, people are dying at an increasing rate and we can debate what it should be called and should not be called, but that's not the real issue," Powell said.
"The real issue is how do we fix the security and how do we put the pressure on the Sudanese government to do what needs to be done and how do we get the international community more fully mobilized?"
