Cotler OpEd

Hon. Irwin Cotler penned this OpEd in the National Post calling for Canadian action. The 10 Points that he touts were conceived in collaboration with STAND and other NGOs:

What follows is a 10 point agenda for action whereby Canada, in concert with the international community, can exercise the necessary moral, diplomatic and political leadership to save Darfur.

1 Support for the rapid transition from the current African Union observer mission to a strong UN-mandated "Chapter VII" protection force. This mission would put an end to the mass atrocities being perpetrated in Darfur, in accordance with the Canadian-initiated "Responsibility to Protect" doctrine, which was affirmed recently by the UN Security Council. Indeed, Darfur is a test case for the validity of this doctrine;

2 Ensure that the prospective multinational protection force has the necessary numbers, resources and capacity to implement a robust civilian-protection mandate. Canada should make its own contribution;

3 Support for the UN Security Council Resolution to bring war criminals to justice before the International Criminal Court;

4 Enforcement of the UN Security Council ban on offensive military flights over Darfur, which have resulted in the burning of villages and the killing of innocents;

5 Support for the Darfur Peace Agreement, including its provisions calling for the disarming of the government-sponsored Janjaweed marauders -- while acknowledging that this agreement should not pre-empt or postpone international action to stop the killing;

6 Given that the Government of Sudan is in violation of a number of Security Council Resolutions relating to its support of violence in Darfur, the UN Security Council should consider additional sanctions under Article 41 of the UN Charter;

7 Given the urgent humanitarian crisis in Darfur, including the recent halving of per-capita food allocations by the World Food Program and the ominous threat of death by starvation, Canada should take the lead to ensure that donor nations fulfill their pledges for food assistance, and that humanitarian assistance reaches the victims;

8 Secure the protection of refugees and 3-million internally displaced persons, and facilitate the safe return to their homes;

9 Address the regionalization and internationalization of the conflict, including the extension of the killing into neighbouring Chad, and the pernicious role of China as Khartoum's paymaster; and

10 Convene an urgent meeting of world leaders from the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union and NATO to draft and implement a "Save Darfur Action Plan."

As the student posters put it at the "Save Darfur" rallies in Washington, Toronto and elsewhere, "If not us, who? If not now, when?"