UN envoy Pronk seeks to "ease pressure" on Sudan after "irate reactions" from President Bashir

UN envoy Jan Pronk continued Thursday to soften and weaken UN pressures on Sudan. Pronks' initiative to "ease the pressure" on the government of Sudan is covered in a widely reported AFP story this evening.

UN envoy eases pressure after Khartoum irked by Darfur criticism

The United Nations envoy to Sudan tried to ease the pressure on Khartoum after a flurry of indictments of the government's failure to end the crisis in Darfur drew irate reactions from President Omar al-Beshir.

Jan Pronk, quoted Thursday in the Akhbar Al-Youm daily, said an action plan agreed to by Khartoum "does not set 30 days as a deadline but as a period which can be renewed and amended until all provisions" of a Security Council resolution are implemented.

Evidence that the lastest reports, such as that by Human Rights Watch, are touching a nerve:

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail had asked the UN to control its statements "if it really wants security to prevail in Darfur, otherwise the government will reconsider its commitments."

Reports from the UN and rights groups issued over the past few days harshly criticised the Sudanese government for failing to end the crisis in Darfur, which the UN says has left between 30,000 and 50,000 people dead.

The reports alleged Khartoum was incorporating into the police militias which are accused of war crimes, continuing raids on Darfur and failing to protect the estimated 1.2 million displaced, instead arresting those who spoke to foreign officials or journalists.

Ismail complained that the UN was violating an agreement for Pronk to be the world body's spokesman on Darfur, and charged the recent flurry of statements was counterproductive and only hurting Sudan's image.

Well, I'm sorry about Sudan's image, Mr. Ismail, but you and your government are perpetrating a genocide, thank you very much. And this is not the first time. This is just the first time the world is watching.

The US and UK should ask for UN envoy Jan Pronk to be recalled.

Pronks' actions would be comic if they did not affect the lives of thousands of people. Authoritative reports, including from his own United Nations, indicate that the government is continuing to play games and stall. The government complains about the reports, and Pronk relents. I would have thought that Pronk would have upped the pressure, and sought to determine whether there is truth to the reports--and if so, would have brought this to the attention of both the government of Sudan and UN Security Council members.

Pronks' actions remind me of historical accounts of those who sought to molify Hitler, hoping that by doing so Hitler would become more reasonable in his actions. Bashir is making a great deal of noise, and Pronk is responding with weakening UN resolve. Let's see--what do we think Bashir will do next? Make less noise, or more?

Comments

[gottaB]

Pronk quoted today:

"There is no mass killing going on in this country. There is killing, but there is no reason to believe ... that the government is behind those killings."

I would like to see the full quote in context before reaching a judgement, but it seems at this point as if you were 100% right about Mr. Pronk.