14 Feb 07 – The Aegis Trust wholeheartedly supports its colleagues in France at the Collecif Urgence Darfour in the statement they have issued opposing the coming visit to France by Sudanese President Omar Bashir. The Urgence Darfour statement follows:
Sudanese President Omar Bashir is not welcome in France
The Council for General Affairs and External Relations met in Brussels on Monday 12 February and France was represented by M. Douste-Blazy and Mme. Colonna. In the course of their meeting, European ministers tackled the question of Sudan.
We hope that they remembered that the countries of Europe, like the majority of States, promised at the UN world summit in September 2005 to exercise their “responsibility to protect” populations who are victims of crimes against humanity and genocide.
This commitment is especially topical at the time when Sudanese President Omar el-Béchir, whose government is accused by the UN of war crimes and crimes against humanity against the civilian “African” peoples of Darfur, is expected in Cannes for the Africa-France summit of 15-16 February. We are astonished that this individual, who bears direct responsibility for hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions of displaced people should be received in the homeland of Human Rights when he should answer for his actions before the International Criminal Court.
Based on Security Council Resolution 1706, which decided that blue helmets should be deployed to Darfur, the Collectif Urgence Darfour invites European countries to:
· set up humanitarian corridors to allow civilians access to food and medical aid;
· bring genocidal massacres to an end;
· organize a no-fly zone over the whole of Darfur;
· refer the perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity to the International Criminal Court.
We must act with urgency to save what remains of the peoples of Darfur.
