Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-09-27-Speech-3-223"
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the European Union is concerned about recent developments in Sudan, especially the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Darfur. The Presidency, together with EU High Representative Javier Solana, has been working closely with EU partners and the international community to try and set common objectives and to cooperate in order to build lasting peace in Darfur. Furthermore, Pekka Haavisto, who was appointed EU Special Representative for Sudan in summer 2005, is continuing to monitor the general situation in Sudan and the coordination of EU action, and to take part in discussions with Sudan in his capacity as EU representative.
On more than one occasion, the Union has expressed its concern about this issue and has discussed it with the Sudanese Government. The EU has also urged other international players to take action to convince the Sudanese Government of the usefulness and necessity of the UN operation for the peace process in Sudan generally. It was with this in mind that the Finnish Presidency, EU High Representative Javier Solana, EU Special Representative Pekka Haavisto and the Member States discussed the matter in depth at their meeting during the Ministerial Week at the UN General Assembly in New York.
The EU is very anxious about human rights violations in Darfur. In particular, women and children have been the victims of physical violence, including rape. The Union backs the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights to improve the human rights situation. The EU has repeatedly reminded the Sudanese Government of its responsibility to protect its citizens from all forms of violence and to guarantee respect for human rights.
The EU is one of the main providers of assistance in the reconstruction work following the civil war in Sudan. At the Oslo Donors’ Conference on Sudan in April 2005, the Commission and the Member States together promised substantial aid to cover immediate needs and start reconstruction. When the Darfur peace process starts in earnest, the EU is also prepared to aid reconstruction in Darfur. The Union will also give Sudan and Darfur substantial humanitarian aid.
It is important that the EU should have a conspicuous and active role in Sudan and Darfur. The situation in Sudan and Darfur is one of the most crucial issues with regard to Africa and the Common Foreign and Security Policy, and will stay high up on the agenda during the Finnish EU Presidency. The matter will also be raised at all the main conferences and meetings with third parties, including high-level meetings.
If no proper action is taken, Darfur will be at risk of getting caught in a new spiral of violence. And that is something we cannot afford.
The Darfur Peace Agreement, which was signed in May by the Sudanese Government and Minni Minnawi’s rebel troops, the Sudanese Liberation Movement, was regarded as an opportunity for peace. The Peace Agreement was expected to end the three-year long conflict, which has claimed almost 300 000 lives and driven more than two million people into exile. Four months on, however, security and the humanitarian situation in the region are rapidly deteriorating. Violent attacks on villages and refugee camps, both in and outside the country, have increased, particularly in the last few months. The Sudanese Government has reinforced its military presence in Darfur. Both the Sudanese Government troops and the rebels are in breach of the ceasefire agreements. Owing to deteriorating security, the number of refugees and people in need of humanitarian aid has gone up. At the same time, it has become harder for humanitarian aid to get through, with help reaching only around 50% of those who need it.
If the Darfur Peace Agreement were implemented – and barely any progress has been made on this – it would have an immediate impact on the lives of some six million Darfurians. It would make it possible for the refugees to return to their homes and a normal life. It would make it possible for agriculture to get going, which would help ensure a supply of food, and for schools and healthcare to be established, and it would help guarantee the basic essentials of life, to name just some of the benefits. All this depends on improved security.
In order to ensure that the Darfur Peace Agreement is viable and that it can be implemented, the groups that have not signed up to the pact need to be included in the peace process. In order to improve security, it is vital that the parties involved in the conflict commit to the ceasefire and that the ceasefire is monitored. The EU has repeatedly called on the parties involved in the conflict to comply with their obligations under the Peace Agreement and the Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement signed in N’Djamena in 2004. The European Union, and in particular its special representative, Mr Haavisto, has also been active in trying to involve those not party to the Agreement in the peace process, and to persuade them to sign up to the Darfur Peace Agreement.
The European Union is worried about the effects of the Darfur conflict on the peace process in Sudan as a whole. The conflict will have serious repercussions for regional stability in East Africa and the Horn of Africa, especially in Chad and the Central African Republic.
To support the Darfur peace process, in 2004 the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) was set up. The EU has supported AMIS since the launch of its operation through the African Peace Facility (APF). In all, the Union’s financial support for the AMIS operation has added up to around EUR 242 million. In addition, the Union has provided material, logistic and planning aid and support, as well as personnel. The Member States have also lent support to the operation with major bilateral contributions.
AMIS, the first peacekeeping operation in the history of the African Union, has done excellent work in extremely difficult circumstances. Its capacity and resources are nevertheless insufficient to confront the enormous challenges that Darfur presents. In spite of the huge sums of money from the EU, the operation has also had serious financial problems. From this, it is clear that the only possible and realistic solution to peacekeeping in Darfur is a UN operation.
The EU strongly supports Resolution 1706 adopted by the UN Security Council on 31 August. This expands the UNMIS peacekeeping operation’s mandate in South Sudan to cover Darfur, to continue the work begun by AMIS. The main task of the UN operation would be to support the implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement. The protection of civilians and monitoring the ceasefire would be essential elements in the operation’s mandate. As AMIS’s biggest supporter, the European Union is very concerned that the Sudanese Government has not agreed to the UN operation in Darfur.
The UN operation is vital to improve security in Darfur and to implement the Peace Agreement in a way that is sustainable. Darfur cannot, however, be left in a ‘security vacuum’. For that reason, the EU takes a positive view of the decision taken by the African Union in New York on 20 September that AMIS’s mandate should be extended until the end of the year. The EU has undertaken to provide AMIS with support during this ‘transition stage’ too. The EU is still insisting that the Sudanese Government should agree to AMIS coming under the supervision of the UN, in accordance with UN Resolution 1706."@en1
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