U.N. approves Darfur peacekeeping force

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UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The U.N. Security Council on Thursday voted 12-0 for a resolution that would put a U.N. peacekeeping force in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region, provided the African nation does not oppose it.

But Sudan's envoy to the United Nations, Ambassador Omar Bashir, described the resolution as hastily drawn up.

The U.N. plan would beef up the financially strapped African Union's force of 7,000 troops, which has been unable to quell the violence there.

Sudan, however, has steadfastly opposed a U.N. peacekeeping force taking over from the African Union.

The resolution drew abstentions from China, Russia and Qatar, with their representatives criticizing its timing, not its content.

Members of the international community sought Thursday to persuade Sudan to accept the document.

"It is imperative that we move to implement" the resolution "fully, to stop the tragic events unfolding in Darfur," said U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton.

"Every day we delay only adds to the suffering of Sudanese people and extends the genocide," he said.

But Bashir told the official Sudan News Agency that several member states' representatives had told him Sudan would have to agree to the implementation of the resolution before international forces could be stationed in Darfur.

Karen Pierce, Britain's deputy permanent representative and ambassador to the United Nations, said efforts are being made to persuade Sudan to accept the accord, and added that she hopes Sudan "heeds the call."

'Invites consent'

The resolution calls for the mandate of the U.N. Mission in Sudan -- UNMIS -- to be expanded to Darfur and "invites the consent" of Sudan, which has opposed U.N. peacekeepers taking over from the African Union mission currently in the region.

That phrasing means Sudan's lack of approval need not halt planning, Bolton said, noting that the resolution "simply said we invite their consent."

"As they say, silence is consent. If there isn't any obstructionism, which would be a good thing, then I think the operation can proceed. We're not looking for billboards on the highway into Khartoum accepting the resolution. We'll be happy with acquiescence."

He said the United States expects the Sudanese government to accept it.

"They have the resolution and we expect them to comply with it. And we'll see what happens in reality, as opposed to rhetoric."

The United Nations says that tens of thousands of people "have been killed in the past three years and 2 million others have been forced to flee their homes amid fighting between the Sudanese armed forces, allied militias and rebel groups."

U.S. officials have described the actions of pro-government Arab militia groups against black civilians during the conflict as genocide.

The resolution also calls for UNMIS to be "strengthened by up to 17,300 military personnel and by an appropriate civilian component, including up to 3,300 civilian police personnel and up to 16 formed police units."

An UNMIS mission is already in the Sudan's southern region, where it is helping to implement the 2005 peace accord there.

The resolution calls for helping the parties to the Darfur Peace Agreement to restructure and improve the country's police service, promote an independent judiciary and national legal framework and promote human rights.

The U.S. State Department has called the Darfur Peace Agreement, signed May 5 by the largest rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Movement, and the Sudanese government, "an important achievement for peace in Darfur ... that addresses the long-standing marginalization of Darfur, and charts a path for lasting peace for the innocent victims of the crisis."

The resolution asks U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to consult with the African Union, the government and rebels on a transition from the African Mission in Sudan to a U.N. operation in Darfur, a process that would unfold throughout the rest of the year.

Territorial integrity

The resolution, co-sponsored by the United States, Britain and others, reaffirms the "strong commitment to the sovereignty, unity, independence, and territorial integrity of the Sudan, which would be unaffected by transition to a United Nations operation in Darfur, and to the cause of peace."

It expresses "determination to work with" Sudan's "government of national unity, in full respect of its sovereignty, to assist in tackling the various problems confronting the Sudan and that a United Nations operation in Darfur shall have, to the extent possible, a strong African participation and character."

After the session, reporters questioned diplomats about the key issue of Sudan's stance on the resolution.

Nana Effah-Apenteng -- Ghana's ambassador to the U.N. who held the council's presidency this month -- said the resolution "does not close the door to further dialogue and consultations" with Sudan's government or other international parties.

Ahead of the U.N. Security Council vote, Sudan said its people would "not consent to any resolution that will violate its sovereignty."

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