Annan to Bush: Help stop murder and rape in Darfur

[Colorado Blue]

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Secretary-General Kofi Annan intends to ask President George W. Bush on Monday what the United States can contribute to a mobile UN force to stop the killings, rape and pillaging in Sudan's Darfur region.


The United States has offered military planners for the Darfur operation, which will arrive on Monday. But it has made no offer of air coverage or other assistance for the venture, expected to be comprised mainly of African and Asian troops, who form the bulk of all UN forces.

At issue is a transfer of command from an underfunded African Union force of 7,000 monitors and troops in Darfur to UN peacekeepers, a move U.S. Ambassador John Bolton promoted in the Security Council last week by drafting a statement asking the world body to begin contingency planning.

Annan said Darfur's plight, which the United States has characterized as genocide, was too dire for rich nations to pay but not participate in the mission, which will increase the $5 billion spent on peacekeeping last year.

"It is not going to be easy for the big and powerful countries with armies to delegate to third world countries. They will have to play a part if we are going to stop the carnage that we see in Darfur," Annan told reporters on Thursday.

Asked if Bush would be asked to participate, Annan said, "I will share with him the facts that I have shared with you, the needs that we have, and the countries that I think can supply those needs, and that will include the U.S."

snip

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060212/ts_nm/sudan_un_usa_dc

[varkam]

1. But they don't have WMDs, do they?

Or oil. Or infrastructure. Or an oppressive...oh...wait...

[xultar]

2. Bush doesn't care about Black people.

[C_U_L8R]

3. George Bush certainly does not care for black people

or any people without oil or money.

That pretty much sums up all there is to know about George.

[Fire Walk With Me]

7. Sure he does.

No new money for Katrina victims is quite a clear statement that he's aware of, and has a plan for, poor people, especially African-Americans. This from the people who said they don't torture, while they were torturing, who said no CIA prisons in Europe, whoops, there are, etc.

This is like asking the fox to mind the henhouse.

When will people see that BushCo -enjoy- making other people suffer, that they get off on the power to do so? That everything they say translates to mockery. Sickening.

[fujiyama]

6. Well said

Although he might have if they had oil.

Unfortunately, as we saw with the West's inaction in Rwanda, I don't think anyone cares about black people.

[DoYouEverWonder]

14. Bush doesn't care much

about us whities either.

Except if you are rich, white, xian and male and also contribute large gobs of money to the Repugs.

[LynnTheDem]

4. Got OIL?

If not, FO & D, says bush & Cabal.

[Colorado Blue]

8. Actually, I believe the Sudan does have oil. nt

[LynnTheDem]

11. Didn't they discover a huge oil puddle in N Africa in 2004?

I remember a bunch of us DUers saying ahHA North Africa next! And right along then, donald the Duck started on about terraists in North Africa.

[Colorado Blue]

18. I think there oil in the Sinai. I think they've known about that

for awhile though - I'm not sure.

[applegrove]

5. Humanitarian Intervention competes with the "idea" of perpetual

war. Humanitarian intervention is not a neocons thing.

[Colorado Blue]

9. I don't think we should be lambasting Bush for not having

involved the US in Darfur - although I believe we SHOULD be involved with Darfur - in view of Clinton's lack of involvement in Rwanda, the failed attempt to help the hungry in Somalia - that resulted in attacks on US forces - and the failure of the Left to adopt Darfur as a cause.

The latter upsets me most of all.

The LEFT should be leading the charge to help the people of Africa. Apparently we don't have time either.

[LynnTheDem]

12. We don't have the money or the troops.

And I dunno how welcome we're going to be by other nations any more for any humanitarian missions.

Abu Ghraib and Gitmo aren't a big deal to most Americans...they sure as hell are a HUGE deal for the rest of the world.

Ah well, we're so fucked right now coming & going.

*sigh*

[Bacchus39]

16. yeah, the US was way out in front on this one

the UN has ignored the situation even more than the US has.

[bluestateguy]

10. No, please: No more overseas military adventures

Just no more. What might seem like humanitarian assistance one minute can easily morph into neo-conservative nation-building exercises, and that's not in the US Constitution's mandate. We need a "time out" from these missions all over the world. We have people suffering here at home.

I'm just spent. No more. Out of Iraq, out of Afghanistan, no more bases around the world. I want it to be 1920 again.

[Behind the Aegis]

13. It is a hardship.

I agree, we have been led astray too many times. However, we cannot ignore this tragedy. We do not need a warlord, we need a humanitarian.

Too many people said what was happening in Nazi Germany, fascist Italy, and imperial Japan should not be "our" concern. So why, as many here like to compare Bush to Hitler, should we sit by and let another holocaust happen?! So many have already died, why must we allow the massacre to continue?

For someone, whose moniker is bluestateguy, I can't believe that you want this opportunity to save lives to pass you by. I agree that I do not want more military bases, but we can never rest while people are being slaughtered! Should we be the only nation not to suffer? Oh wait...our nation does suffer. Why is that? Because people cannot bring themselves to find it in their heart to love others who are not their own.

I have seen other posts by you, I know that you have a heart that wants peace. Can you not join others who want to extend this beyond the borders of the US? It will not be easy...but should that be a requisite?

[Demeter]

15. It Ain't Gonna Happen

but thanks for the invite. We gotta clean House, Senate and WH before we can take a role on the world political stage again.

[wildflower]

17. Kicked and nominated. Also, these are good Web sites...

to visit for information and action:

http://www.darfurgenocide.org/
http://www.darfurinfo.org/
http://www.savedarfur.org/

wildflower

[Colorado Blue]

19. Thank you. Those are great sites!

At least we could help get something started, humanitarian efforts if nothing else.