Remarks With Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller After the Foreign Ministers Mee

[Kapchar]

Secretary Condoleezza Rice
New York, New York
September 22, 2006

5:45 p.m. EDT

SECRETARY RICE: Hello. We’ve just concluded a meeting of the Security Council and several other interested states and parties concerning the Darfur conflict. I think it’s fair to say that there is an understanding of the urgency of this matter. There is a great desire to support the African Union both in their political efforts and in supporting the AMIS force. But there was also a very important understanding that we must make sure that Resolution 1706 is fully implemented and that we are able to get to the point that we have a transition to a UN force because everyone is very concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Darfur as well as the violence that has risen in Darfur. And we will remain very much active in this and I think we’ll soon meet again.


And I want to thank my co-chair, the Foreign Minister of Denmark.


FOREIGN MINISTER MOELLER: Thank you very much. I think it has been a very good meeting because it shows not only the Security Council involved, also a lot of countries which are involved in the situation somehow or the other and has influence on the situation all agree that the atrocities must stop, that there must be peace and security throughout Darfur, that the rebel groups have to stop (inaudible) and Sudan has to(inaudible) process (inaudible) so we can save the people of Darfur (inaudible). Time is running out. That’s why we have (inaudible). Africa, of course, is leading politically, diplomatically, to support AMIS as best we can and as we are. And then we’ll meet again here someday in October to take stock of the situation so that the United Nations can be in Sudan the 1st of January (inaudible).


SECRETARY RICE: We’ll just take a couple questions. Anne Gearan.


QUESTION: Madame Secretary, how confident are you that you really can bring enough international pressure to bear to be able to get a force in there if the Bashir government continues to resist a UN force?


SECRETARY RICE: I think you will see a lot of effort, maximum effort, on the part of the assembled here as well as the African Union. The African Union representatives made very clear that it is their desire to have the transition to a UN force. The Sudanese Government needs to understand that no one is trying to impinge on Sudanese sovereignty. That is not the issue here. But there is a responsibility to protect the weakest and Sudan has not done that, and so there will have to be a UN force. But I believe that meetings like today which really do focus everybody on the necessity and the urgency of the situation in Darfur can help to mobilize that effort.


QUESTION: What kind of pressure do you see being put on the Sudanese Government in really getting them to --


FOREIGN MINISTER MOELLER: Well, pressure works, pressure works because the African Union (inaudible) agreement the 1st of January (inaudible) this is not (inaudible) African Union supported by the Arab League (inaudible) that is progressing which has made this meeting political so that we can really take stock of the situation and the African Union can keep Sudan on track (inaudible) can get this agreement between different forces and troops in Darfur so the people in the Darfur shall not continue to (inaudible) or sent into exile. So (inaudible) this way in the African Union. I am hopeful that we (inaudible).


SECRETARY RICE: One more question. James.


QUESTION: Madame Secretary, thank you. Under Secretary Burns said that on Iran the diplomacy is now in extra innings. Okay. If you’d like, I won’t question you on this subject.


SECRETARY RICE: No, go ahead, and then I’ll take one more question..


QUESTION: Extra innings happens when there’s a tie at the end of nine innings. Here we had a situation in which Iran had a deadline and they didn’t meet it. So my question to you is what confidence do you have that a new deadline for Iran will be met?


SECRETARY RICE: I have great confidence that everybody is committed to both the letter and the spirit and the logic of Resolution 1696, which insists that if Iran is not willing to suspend its activities and enter negotiation – its enrichment and reprocessing activities and enter negotiations – then we will have Security Council action under Article 41, Chapter 7. I am absolutely certain of that and we will do so. We want to give diplomacy its best chance, but I can assure you the time is not endless.


Elise.


QUESTION: On Darfur, Madame Secretary. Madame Secretary, on Darfur. You and President Bush have said the international community must act to prevent – to stop what you’re calling a genocide there. Will you consider tougher measures against the government in Khartoum if they don’t let the force in? Prime Minister Blair has called for a package of carrot and sticks. Do you think that the international community should be appeasing a government that the United States has said is responsible for genocide?


SECRETARY RICE: Well, clearly, no one intends to appease anyone. We intend to have the Government of Sudan act. There was very clear indication by several speakers today that there are other measures at the disposal of the international community should we not be able to get the agreement of Sudan in the way that we would like to get the agreement of Sudan, which is that they would accede to the desires of the international community to stop the violence and stop the rape of women and children and to allow humanitarian workers to work. One thing we’re all very concerned about is we had a report that the humanitarian situation -- the access to hundreds of thousands of people is -- who have been cut off from access. This simply can’t continue and I think this was an effort to begin to mobilize more pressure to get this done and done quickly.


FOREIGN MINSITER MOELLER: (Inaudible) and every government all over the world is (inaudible) calling the situation unacceptable (inaudible) very, very unacceptable. All countries in here find it unacceptable – Arab, African, Asian, European, America. They of course mean something in Khartoum; otherwise, they will know that stands side by side (inaudible) other measures (inaudible) the people of Darfur though military means, then we will have to have new ways again.


SECRETARY RICE: Thank you.

END

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