UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed for more time for diplomacy to help end the four-year conflict in Darfur as the US and Britain announced plans for a resolution that would impose new UN sanctions on Sudan.
Ban had urged the US and Britain on April 2 to delay a push for tougher sanctions -- and he indicated that he remains opposed not only to US President George W. Bush's call for tougher UN sanctions but to new US economic sanctions Bush ordered on Tuesday.
While Bush said new sanctions are necessary to stop the bloodshed in Darfur, the US push comes at a delicate time in negotiations for a 23,000-strong UN-African Union (AU) "hybrid" force for Darfur and efforts by special envoys for both organizations to get all combatants to the negotiating table to try to reach a political settlement.
The US and Britain said sanctions can pressure the Sudanese government to agree to the "hybrid" force and to improve the humanitarian and security situation, but Russia, China and South Africa questioned why Washington and London were pressing for sanctions when Khartoum had taken some positive steps.
Ban told reporters on Tuesday: "We will have to wait to see" whether the new US sanctions make his efforts to get the Sudanese government's agreement for the "hybrid" force more difficult.
"I am very much committed to work as fast as I can to bring a comprehensive resolution in the political process, peacekeeping operations and humanitarian mat-ters," Ban said.
"I hope that the international community can work in a mutually reinforcing way to bring peace and security in Darfur," he said. "At the same time, I hope that the government of Sudan, and also the rebel movement -- they should take concrete action reflecting the wishes of the international community to seek peace and security as soon as possible."
Did he want more time for negotiations?
"Yes, I need some more time," Ban said.
Britain's UN Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said London and Washington had given Ban and his special adviser, Jan Eliasson, "negotiating space" but had not seen progress on the three tracks.
"I think the threat of sanctions has had an effect," he said. "At the moment there's no sign that it's had quite enough effect."
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