Last chance: EU Council President Merkel must now make sure that sanctions are imposed on the Sudanese regime!

In a full-page advertisement in the Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung Bundeskanzler Angela Merkel is called upon on Thursday to use her last chance as President of the Council of Europe and on Monday in the EU council of foreign ministers in Luxembourg to impose sanctions on the Sudanese regime in Khartoum. This was the demand made on Wednesday by the Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) in an announcement on a joint campaign by human rights organisations and action groups for Darfur. [Similar advertisements are published in other states like in the UK (addressed to Tony Blair)]

Bundeskanzler Merkel, the British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the new French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced unequivocally in recent weeks that the situation in Darfur is unbearable and spoke out for sanctions. However in spite of these "statements” by three of the most important European actors Europe has up till now undertaken no concrete steps to protect the black African civilian population, which is suffering under dreadful crimes. This is the criticism made in the advertisement.

In 20 joint statements the EU foreign ministers have 57 times in the past three years expressed their "concern” about Darfur. "Enough promises, enough ‘concern’. Now it is time to act.” This is the appeal of Darfur-help, Fairplanet, the Society for Threatened Peoples, Globe for Darfur, Human Rights Watch and wadi to Frau Merkel.

Here are the quotations of the heads of state used in the advertisement:

"The situation in Darfur is intolerable. Over 200,000 people have died, there are some two million people displaced...We need to extend the sanctions regime.” (Tony Blair in a speech celebrating the 50th anniversary of the EU, 25.03.2007)

"I won ’t hesitate to promote a significant strengthening of sanctions against all those responsible for prolonging the conflict. Immediate measures are required...” (Nicolas Sarkozy, Le Monde, 17.04.2007)