Darfur and China: It is about the oil this time

The NY Times pressures Beijing to pressure Khartoum to allow a UN force for Darfur. Good luck.

A strong United Nations force is needed to halt the genocide in Sudan’s Darfur region. If it is not sent soon, it may be too late for many thousands of potential victims. The immediate cause of the delay is the refusal by Sudan’s president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, to agree to a U.N. force, which he preposterously claims would attempt to recolonize his African nation. He is able to get away with this largely because China, a permanent member of the Security Council, continues to protect him with the threat of using its veto.

One reason Beijing stands behind Mr. Bashir is . China is trying to diversify its oil sources beyond the crisis-prone Middle East, and Africa is one obvious alternative. Already, some 7 percent of China’s imported oil comes from Sudan...

Surely Beijing does not want the world to see it as the main obstacle to sending a U.N. force to end the killing in Darfur. But right now, that is exactly the case. Other countries, like Russia, are also hanging back. But if China dropped its objections, they would probably follow its lead...

Frankly, my dears, the Chinese don't give a damn; the Gray Lady is starting to sound like the Toronto Star.

Mark C.

Posted by markc at August 4, 2006 04:07 PM