Downing Street Says » Sudan and Zimbabwe

The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that the Prime Minister had written to Chancellor Merkel, in her role as President of the EU and copied it to other EU members. The PMOS went on to say that the gist of the letter was that enough was enough, President Bashir of Sudan, was clearly not complying with the agreement that had been reached earlier this year and therefore the Prime Minister believed that it was time for new, tough UN resolution which would mean targeted sanctions aimed at the top members of the Sudanese Government and those supporting them. The reason the Prime Minister believed this was because the hybrid force Sudan has been dragging its feet on, the violence is continuing. Clearly President Bashir is not complying with the accord.

Asked if the targeted sanctions would be things like travel bans and freezing of overseas bank accounts, the PMOS said he believed that was correct but it would be up to those who were drafting the resolution to decide on these details.

Asked if the UN would be drafting a resolution in respect of Sudan, the PMOS said that talks would take place with other Security Council members and see what the best way forward would be.

Asked how the Prime Minister planned to enforce the accord, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister hoped that the EU as a whole would support the moves towards a tougher UN resolution. Asked when this would be, the PMOS said that this weekend in Berlin there would be a chance to talk about the issue in the margins of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the EU, which is in itself a very important event. The Prime Minister hoped that he would be able to talk to other EU leaders informally. Asked if the UK had any unilateral sanctions, the PMOS said that he didn’t believe so but this was something where what the past showed was that President Bashir does respond to pressure. Whenever the international communities attention moves elsewhere then he reneges; pressure works but it has to be sustained pressure and for that to work it has to be international pressure.

Asked if the US suggested these moves and were aware of the plans, the PMOS said that we were fully across what the US was doing and the US is fully aware of what our intentions were.

Asked if Sudan was already on Chancellor Merkel’s agenda or was it something that had been pressed, the PMOS said that Chancellor Merkel would speak for herself, but in terms of moving forward, the new element in this is the push for a tough, new UN resolution, and a resolution with teeth. He added that it was thought that many others in the EU were sympathetic but it would be better to see where talks got to. But yes, the UK were driving this.

Asked if the targeted sanctions mentioned for Sudan were similar to those imposed on Robert Mugabe and they had not worked, the PMOS said that the sanctions would be along these lines but equally what was important was that the past had shown that President Bashir does respond to pressure. In terms of Zimbabwe what is having a real impact at the moment is the fact that the African countries, particularly in southern Africa, are taking a much tougher line. We will fully support that, that is what has an impact on the ground in Zimbabwe, rather than the UK making high profile statements that then allow President Mugabe, wrongly, to portray it as a conflict between the UK and Zimbabwe. It was not, it is a conflict between President Mugabe regime and humanity, that was the basic line.

Asked if, because of the situation on the ground, people who had failed asylum bids from Zimbabwe should not be removed from the UK back to Zimbabwe, the PMOS said that it would be wrong for him to comment on the matter as it was for the Home Office to consider each individual case, but he was sure the present circumstances would be considered.

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» Thursday, March 22, 2007

Sudan and Zimbabwe

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