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| Version 5 | Version 6 |
|---|---|
| US to toughen sanctions on Sudan | US to toughen sanctions on Sudan |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| US President George W Bush is set to announce fresh sanctions on Sudan over the Darfur conflict, US officials said. | US President George W Bush is set to announce fresh sanctions on Sudan over the Darfur conflict, US officials said. |
| The US will also push for a stronger UN Security Council resolution punishing Khartoum over the ongoing violence, singling out President Omar al-Bashir. | The US will also push for a stronger UN Security Council resolution punishing Khartoum over the ongoing violence, singling out President Omar al-Bashir. |
| Washington will ban more companies from US trade and crack down on individuals suspected of violence in Darfur. | Washington will ban more companies from US trade and crack down on individuals suspected of violence in Darfur. |
| China, a major customer for Sudan's oil, said the new US sanctions would only complicate the problem. | China, a major customer for Sudan's oil, said the new US sanctions would only complicate the problem. |
| "These wilful sanctions and simply applying pressure is not conducive to solving the problem," said Liu Guijin, China's special representative on the Darfur issue. | "These wilful sanctions and simply applying pressure is not conducive to solving the problem," said Liu Guijin, China's special representative on the Darfur issue. |
| More than 200,000 people have been killed and about two million have fled their homes amid fighting by government-backed Arab Janjaweed militias and rebel groups in Darfur, in what the Bush administration calls a genocide. | |
| Oil targets | |
| President Bush is due to speak at the White House at 0800 (1200 GMT). | |
| "President Bashir's actions over the past few weeks follow a long pattern of promising co-operation while finding new methods of obstruction," Mr Bush will say, according to a draft of the speech. | "President Bashir's actions over the past few weeks follow a long pattern of promising co-operation while finding new methods of obstruction," Mr Bush will say, according to a draft of the speech. |
| The strengthened measures, which also include toughening existing sanctions imposed in 1997, will take effect immediately, US government officials said, targeting mainly companies in the oil industry. | The strengthened measures, which also include toughening existing sanctions imposed in 1997, will take effect immediately, US government officials said, targeting mainly companies in the oil industry. |
| Having given new UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon some space, President Bush's patience has now run out, says BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus. | |
| But how much extra leverage the new US sanctions will bring is unclear, he adds. | |
| Sudan condemned the expected measures: "I think these sanctions are not justified. It is not timely," Mutrif Siddig, a senior official in Sudan's foreign ministry, is quoted as saying by Reuters news agency. | |
| UK Prime Minister Tony Blair welcomed the new sanctions against Sudan. | |
| "What is happening in Sudan is not acceptable by any international standards," his spokesman said. | |
| Arms ban | Arms ban |
| The US and Britain are pushing for the UN to impose new financial sanctions against Sudan and at least three individuals, as well as to ban arms sales to the Sudanese government. | The US and Britain are pushing for the UN to impose new financial sanctions against Sudan and at least three individuals, as well as to ban arms sales to the Sudanese government. |
| It is also pushing for the UN to ban Sudanese military flights over Darfur. | It is also pushing for the UN to ban Sudanese military flights over Darfur. |
| Darfur is an issue that resonates not just with human rights activists, but with Christian conservative groups who are a key part of President Bush's constituency, our correspondent says. | |
| Q&A: Darfur crisis Americans take up Darfur cause | Q&A: Darfur crisis Americans take up Darfur cause |
| The UN is stepping up pressure on Sudan's government to end the conflict, which has devastated the western Sudanese region since 2003. | The UN is stepping up pressure on Sudan's government to end the conflict, which has devastated the western Sudanese region since 2003. |
| On Friday, the Security Council endorsed proposals to let a combined UN-African Union peacekeeping force protect civilians and use force to prevent violence. | On Friday, the Security Council endorsed proposals to let a combined UN-African Union peacekeeping force protect civilians and use force to prevent violence. |
| The officials said they had not yet secured agreement from China on the issue. | The officials said they had not yet secured agreement from China on the issue. |
| China - which wields a veto on the UN Security Council - has opposed plans to use sanctions to force Mr Bashir to accept a UN peacekeeping force. | China - which wields a veto on the UN Security Council - has opposed plans to use sanctions to force Mr Bashir to accept a UN peacekeeping force. |
| The existing US sanctions mean Sudanese companies cannot use the US currency, making international trade more difficult. | The existing US sanctions mean Sudanese companies cannot use the US currency, making international trade more difficult. |
| But the effects of these measures have been limited as China has become one of Sudan's major trading partners. | But the effects of these measures have been limited as China has become one of Sudan's major trading partners. |
| Beijing supplies arms to Sudan and buys more than half of its oil. It has also spent millions of dollars investing in Sudan's oil infrastructure. | |