* U.S. draft warns Juba, Khartoum of possible sanctions
* Diplomats want U.N. vote on draft resolution this week
(Adds vote expected Wednesday, details)
By Louis Charbonneau
UNITED NATIONS, May 1 (Reuters) – China and Russia are
resisting a Western push for the U.N. Security Council to
threaten Sudan and South Sudan with sanctions if the two
countries fail to comply with demands to halt their escalating
conflict, U.N. envoys said on Tuesday.
The U.N. negotiations on Sudan and South Sudan, former civil
war foes that split when the south seceded last year, follow
weeks of border fighting that have raised fears Khartoum and
Juba could launch an all-out war, after failing to resolve a
string of disputes over oil revenues and border demarcation.
Delegates from the five permanent members of the Security
Council and temporary member South Africa met on Monday for
several hours at the U.S. mission in New York to try to reach an
agreement on amending a U.S.-drafted resolution on the two
Sudans, Western envoys told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
The United States circulated to the 15-nation council on
Monday a revised draft resolution that threatens both Sudan and
South Sudan with “additional measures” under Article 41 of the
U.N. charter, which allows the council to impose economic and
diplomatic sanctions on countries that ignore its decisions.
“The draft will probably change before it goes to a vote,” a
diplomat told Reuters. “China doesn’t want any mention of
Article 41.”
Diplomats said the council was planning to put the draft
resolution to a vote on Wednesday, though it was likely to
undergo further changes before then. They said the United States
and European council members did not want to remove the
reference to Article 41 but would be open to a compromise.
“In the end there will be some kind of settlement on the
issue,” a Western diplomat said.
Beijing, which has close trade relations with both Khartoum
and Juba, has traditionally acted as Sudan’s protector on the
council and for years has shielded it from U.S. and European
calls for sanctions due to its handling of conflicts in its
western Darfur region and elsewhere in the country.
RUSSIA BACKS CHINA
Russia is supporting China’s push to water down the
resolution and also dislikes the idea of mentioning Article 41
in the resolution, council diplomats said. Article 41 does not
authorize military intervention.
The African Union’s Peace and Security Council last week
urged both sides to cease hostilities and withdraw troops from
disputed areas, and warned it would issue its own binding
rulings if they failed to strike deals on a string of disputes
within three months.
It also asked the U.N. Security Council to pass a legally
binding resolution to demand that Khartoum and Juba comply with
the AU declaration.
It will be “much more difficult for the Chinese and Russians
to say no to something requested by the African Union,” a
diplomat said.
Under the latest U.S. draft, as with two previous versions,
the council would have to pass a new resolution to impose
sanctions on either Khartoum or Juba for not ending hostilities.
Such sanctions typically include an arms embargo, asset
freezes and travel bans.
The United States made an attempt to soften the language in
the latest draft. The first version, obtained by Reuters, warned
Khartoum and Juba of “its determination, in the event that one
or both of the parties have not complied, to take appropriate
additional measures under Article 41 of the (U.N.) Charter.”
The latest version, also obtained by Reuters, softens it by
speaking of the council’s “intention” to take steps under
Article 41 in the event of non-compliance.
China and Russia are traditionally reluctant to impose
sanctions on any nation, calling them counterproductive.
(Editing by Paul Simao and Jackie Frank)
