The US predicted that the Security Council will adopt its resolution on Sudan, buoyed by strong backing from Secretary-General Kofi Annan who called for urgent UN action to stop attacks against civilians in the western Darfur region.
US Ambassador John Danforth made the prediction Thursday after the council discussed a new toned-down draft aimed at winning support from China, Russia and other members who fear the threat of oil sanctions against Khartoum could complicate efforts to end the 19-month conflict that has forced over 1.2 million people to flee their homes.
Danforth said a vote was likely to be held this afternoon and he predicted the resolution would get at least nine "yes" votes -- the minimum needed for approval in the 15-member council. "I believe we are going to have the votes," he said.
China had threatened to veto the original US draft and it was unclear whether Beijing would veto or ab-stain on the latest version.
"This one will be difficult for China ... in a number of areas including sanctions," said China's UN Ambassador Wang Guangya, who voiced concern about the "philosophy" behind the current resolution and said Beijing would like additional changes.
But the US draft got a boost from the secretary-general who urged the council to act on it "without delay and to be as united as possible in the face of this crisis."
Danforth called Annan's unexpected statement "very important," saying "it helped create the sense of urgency."
"I think time is of the essence, I really do, when the reports are that 10,000 people are dying every month, then every day counts," he said.
Annan accused the Sudanese government of failing to rein in Arab militias blamed for killing over 50,000 black African villagers in the desolate western region of Darfur. He also said that both government forces and black African rebels in Darfur were guilty of ceasefire violations.
Annan announced he was sending UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour and a special adviser on genocide, Juan Mendes, to Sudan to see what can be done to protect civilians.
"Civilians are still being attacked and fleeing their villages even as we speak, many months after the government committed itself to bring the militias under control," Annan said on Thursday. "Both sides have to stop violating the ceasefire."
The latest US draft resolution still threatens sanctions, singling out the "petroleum sector," if the Sudanese government doesn't curb the Arab militias and start to disarm them and punish the perpetrators -- and if it doesn't cooperate with a beefed-up African Union monitoring force. A new phrase was added saying that determination would be made by the council after consultations with the AU.
The key changes to the draft include urging Sudan to "refrain" from conducting military flights in and over the Darfur region. The previous version had called on the government to "cease" all military flights.
The new draft strongly endorses an expanded AU force, and it states more clearly that while Sudan had met some obligations, it hadn't met all of them "as expected by the council."
"This draft is essentially the same as what we've had before," Danforth said. "The goal is to get as many votes as we can, but still maintain the substance of the resolution. The key to the resolution is getting the AU in, and providing maximum support for it."
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