Arab states support Sudan against foreign intervention in Darfur, but are also pressing Khartoum to quickly resolve the crisis, Reem Nafie reports In an emergency meeting of Arab League foreign ministers on Sunday, the League pledged support for the Sudanese government's efforts in Darfur and warned that imposing international sanctions on Khartoum would only backfire. A statement adopted during the meeting acknowledges the serious nature of the Darfur crisis but also stresses that if adequate time and assistance are not given to the Sudanese government, it will not be able to resolve the situation. The Arab foreign ministers, especially Egypt's, stressed that the Sudanese government should spare no effort in cooperating with the UN on the situation in Darfur but were publicly critical of any attempt to subject the Sudanese government to sanctions over alleged genocide in Darfur. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit told reporters on Sunday that Sudan may need up to 120 days to bring the situation under control. "The Darfur crisis is very complicated. I cannot imagine that any country, even the United States, could solve this crisis within 30 days," said Abul-Gheit. In Security Council Resolution 1556, issued in late July, the United Nations threatened the Sudanese government with punitive measures -- sanctions, in other words -- if it failed to rein in militias accused of committing gross atrocities and human rights violations in the Darfur region. The UN said that it would decide its next step based upon a report slated to be issued by 29 August by the UN Special Representative to Darfur Jan Pronk. Pronk and African Union (AU) Secretary-General Alpha Oumar Kounare participated in the meeting that convened at the Cairo headquarters of the Arab League on Sunday. A joint communiqué issued by the Sudanese government and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan early in July indicated that the Sudanese government should attend to the situation in Darfur within 90 days. UN and Arab diplomats agree that Resolution 1556 does not annul this agreement. Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa argued that the 29 August date stipulated in Resolution 1556 was not exactly a deadline but rather a target to achieve progress in "a developing process" to end the humanitarian crisis and set the scene for a political settlement. Less than 48 hours prior to the meeting, Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Othman Ismail and Pronk signed a plan of action that should ensure the Sudanese government promptly implements the set of commitments stipulated in an agreement signed with Kofi Annan in July, as well as those included in Resolution 1556. Moreover, as Kounare stressed repeatedly, "Sudan cannot do it alone." The Arab League resolution pledged technical, humanitarian and political aid to the Sudanese government. Several Arab countries also pledged direct financial aid. However, typical of Arab ministerial meetings, the Sunday convocation failed to earmark a specific budget for the assistance process. This meeting "was not held to decide on how much the Arab states are willing to pay", Moussa said. Arab foreign ministers stressed their commitment to help provide "urgent necessary humanitarian assistance to Sudan" and rejected accusations made by the US Congress suggesting that some Khartoum-supported militias were involved in genocide in Darfur. Akin to the AU, and a report of an EU fact-finding mission that was issued on Tuesday, the Arab League acknowledged grave human rights violations but insisted that accusations of genocide cannot be laid at the door of the Khartoum regime. The Arab League, however, failed to offer a positive response to an appeal made by Human Rights Watch to the pan-Arab organisation to explicitly criticise the Khartoum regime and condemn the atrocities committed in Darfur. "We stated that violations existed in a report that we issued last April upon a visit that we made to Darfur, but it is impossible to talk of genocide without providing serious evidence," said an Arab League official. Meanwhile, the Arab League has decided to join the AU in its efforts to broker a political settlement between Khartoum and the Darfur rebels. The League is "prepared to take part in any mediation under the guidance of the AU between the Sudanese government and the Darfur rebels," said the resolution. The League also indicated its willingness to participate in monitoring the ceasefire in Darfur. Moussa said Arab countries are willing to participate in a peace- keeping force to help calm the situation. The League reached an agreement with the Sudanese government and the UN to establish a "joint implementation mechanism", which will allow the League to evaluate the progress Khartoum is making in its efforts to implement the UN resolution. Egypt and Libya said they could provide "a group of observers". Abul-Gheit said late last week that Egypt would send no more than 80 troops to Sudan. The AU plans to dispatch 1,600-1,800 soldiers to protect an unarmed 150-member monitoring mission. However, these numbers still have to be green-lighted by the Sudanese government, which has expressed apprehension over allowing foreign troops into its territories. The Sudanese foreign minister explicitly stated that his country would only accept observers to monitor the ceasefire and a limited number of troops to protect them, but Khartoum has not yet been willing to allow peace-keepers -- even from Arab countries -- to deploy in Darfur. According to Ismail, providing peace and security in Sudan is the job of the Sudanese government. The Arab foreign ministers also supported Sudan in rejecting foreign intervention in Darfur. During Ismail's statement before the opening session, he expressed a fear that some Western capitals may attempt to use the Darfur crisis as a pretext to meddle in his country's internal affairs. Ismail also warned of possible Israeli influence through some of Sudan's neighbours. He directly accused Eritrea of "hosting armed rebels and providing them with training, arms and logistical support" and of being corrupted by Israel. Arab League sources say that collective Arab diplomatic efforts are currently being undertaken to secure that Eritrea will not use its differences with the Khartoum regime as a pretext to exercise a negative influence over developments in Darfur. Libya is expected to play a key diplomatic role on this front. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Ismail did not have much praise for the outcome of the Arab foreign ministers' meeting. However, he did say that he was fairly assured by progress made on the ground, and the support his government was accorded from the Arab countries as well as from the AU, which is planning for the resumption of political talks between Khartoum and Darfur rebels on 23 August in Abuja.
