The UN Security Council voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt a
resolution authorizing a 26,000-strong joint African Union-United
Nations peacekeeping force in Darfur, Sudan.
Under the resolution, cosponsored by Belgium, Britain, France,
Italy, Peru and Slovakia, the hybrid operation in Darfur, known as
UNAMID, would be authorized and mandated for an initial period of
12 months, consisting of up to 19,555 military personnel and a
civilian component including up to 3,772 police personnel and 19
formed police units comprising up to 140 personnel each.
It calls on member states to finalize their contributions to
UNAMID within 30 days of the adoption of the resolution.
The resolution, hailed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as
"historic and unprecedented," reaffirms its "strong commitment to
the sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of
Sudan" and expressed determination to work with the Sudanese
government to assist in tackling the various problems in
Darfur.
"By authorizing the deployment of a hybrid operation for Darfur,
you are sending a clear and powerful signal or your commitment to
improve the lives of the people of the region, and close this
tragic chapter in Sudan's history," Ban said.
The resolution calls for the establishment no later than October
of an initial operational capacity for the headquarters of UNAMID,
which will eventually assume full operational command authority
over the hybrid peacekeeping operation.
The resolution requests that UN secretary-general report to the
Security Council within 30 days and every 30 days thereafter on the
status of the implementation of UNAMID's tasks.
It urges all the parties to the conflict in Darfur to
immediately cease all hostilities and commit themselves to a
sustained and permanent ceasefire.
Citing Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, the resolution authorizes
UNAMID to "take the necessary action" to protect its personnel,
facilities, installations and equipment, to ensure the security and
freedom of movement of its own personnel and humanitarian workers,
and to prevent armed attacks and protect civilians "without
prejudice to the responsibility of the government of Sudan."
Wang Guangya, the Chinese Ambassador who serves as the Security
Council president for July, this Resolution 1769 was "a consensus
product reached through dialogue and consultation by parties
concerned and a long-awaited result for all parties."
"Today's resolution marks a major step forward for addressing
the issue," Wang said. "The Darfur issue cannot be resolved without
the efforts of the Sudanese government and the cooperation of the
Sudanese government is even more important for deployment as well
as discharge of the hybrid operation."
He stressed that the purpose of Resolution 1769 is to "authorize
the launch of the hybrid operation, rather than exert pressure or
impose sanctions."
"Throughout the consultations, China has consistently stated
that the resolution should be simple and clear-cut, focus on the
core of authorizing deployment of the hybrid operation by the
Security Council," Wang said.
British Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry called the resolution "an
unprecedented undertaking in scale, complexity and importance."
"The challenge ahead is multifaceted ... embracing urgent action
on political, security and humanitarian tracks," Parry said. "The
focus now must be on securing a political settlement in
Darfur."
Sudan's UN ambassador, Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad, said
the resolution adopted Tuesday has some "good improvements" over
earlier drafts and that many of the Sudanese government's concerns
have been taken into consideration.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad expressed
satisfaction with the resolution, calling on the government of
Sudan and all other parties to the conflict in Darfur to cooperate
fully with the implementation of the resolution.
(Xinhua News Agency August 1, 2007)
