
16 August 1996 SC/6258/Rev.1*
SECURITY COUNCIL TO IMPOSE AIRCRAFT SANCTIONS ON SUDAN IN 90 DAYS IF COUNTRY FAILS TO COMPLY WITH EXTRADITION DEMANDS 19960816By Vote of 13-0-2, Council Adopts Resolution 1070 (1996), Calling on Sudan to Comply with Earlier Resolutions or Face ActionActing under Chapter VII of the Charter, the Security Council this evening decided to impose sanctions on Sudanese aircraft, and in 90 days to specify when they will take effect, if Sudan does not comply with earlier Council resolutions demanding that it act to extradite to Ethiopia for prosecution three suspects sheltered on its territory who are wanted in connection with the 26 June assassination attempt against the President of Egypt. The Council voted 13 in favour to none against with 2 abstentions (China, Russian Federation) to adopt resolution 1070 (1996) by which it decided that all States shall deny aircraft permission to take off from, land in, or overfly their territories if the aircraft is registered in Sudan or owned, leased or operated by or on behalf of Sudan Airways or by any undertaking, wherever located or organized, which is substantially owned or controlled by Sudan Airways, or owned, leased or operated by the Government or public authorities of Sudan, or by any undertaking, wherever located or organized, which was substantially owned or controlled by the Government or public authorities of Sudan. The Council further decided that it shall, in 90 days, determine the date of entry into force of the provisions of today's resolution and all aspects of the modalities of its implementation, unless the Council decides before then on the basis of a report of the Secretary-General on Sudan's compliance with the Council's demand. The Secretary-General was requested to report on Sudan's compliance with today's resolution by 15 November. Noting the steps taken by some Member States to give effect to the provisions which concern them in the previous resolution on the matter, the Council today requested those States that had not done so to report to the Secretary-General on the steps they had taken to that end. * Revised to include text in the first sentence of the first paragraph that was inadvertently omitted. Statements were made by the representatives of the United Kingdom, United States, Russian Federation, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, China, Italy, Botswana, Guinea-Bissau, France, Egypt, Poland, Chile and Germany. The representative of Sudan also spoke. Secretary-General's Report The report of the Secretary-General (document S/1996/541 and Add.1-3) reviews developments since the Council's adoption of resolution 1054 (1996) on 26 April. The report recalls the resolution's demand that the Government of Sudan take action to ensure extradition to Ethiopia for prosecution of the three suspects sheltered in Sudan and wanted in connection with the 26 June assassination attempt against the President of Egypt; and that it desist from engaging in activities of assisting, supporting and facilitating terrorist activities and from giving sanctuary to terrorist elements. In a series of letters to the Council, the Government of Sudan stated that it condemned terrorism and terrorist activities, and that it would take steps to ensure that no such activities were tolerated on its territory. The Government further stated that its investigations in respect of two of the suspects had produced no trace of their presence in Sudan, and that the identity of the third suspect was unknown to that country. In the latest letter, the Government of Sudan stated that its President had met with the President of Egypt in Cairo on 23 June during their participation in a meeting of the League of Arab States and had "agreed to open a new era in the Sudanese-Egyptian relationship and to establish mechanisms to tackle all the pending issues in their bilateral relations in order to strengthen further those relations in all fields". The report also recalls provisions of Council resolution 1054 (1996) requiring States to reduce the staff at Sudanese diplomatic missions and to restrict movement of those who remained; and to restrict entry into their territory of members of the Government of Sudan and its armed forces. The report provides details on the measures taken by States to implement the provisions of resolution 1054 (1996). Text of Draft Resolution The Council also has before it a draft resolution (S/1996/664**) sponsored by Botswana, Egypt and Guinea-Bissau, the text of which reads as follows: "The Security Council, "Recalling its resolutions 1044 (1996) of 31 January 1996 and 1054 (1996) of 26 April 1996, Security Council - 3 - Press Release SC/6258/Rev.1 3690th Meeting (PM) 16 August 1996 "Having considered the report of the Secretary-General of 10 July 1996 (S/1996/541 and Add.1, 2 and 3), "Taking note of the letters of 31 May 1996 (S/1996/402), 24 June 1996 (S/1996/464) and 2 July 1996 (S/1996/513) from the Permanent Representative of the Sudan, "Taking note also of the letter of 10 July 1996 (S/1996/538) from the Permanent Representative of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, "Gravely alarmed at the terrorist assassination attempt on the life of the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 26 June 1995, and convinced that those responsible for that act must be brought to justice, "Taking note that the statements of the Central Organ of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution of 11 September 1995, and of 19 December 1995 (S/1996/10, annexes I and II) considered the attempt on the life of President Mubarak as aimed, not only at the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and not only at the sovereignty, integrity and stability of Ethiopia, but also at Africa as a whole, "Regretting the fact that the Government of Sudan has not yet complied with the requests of the Central Organ of the OAU set out in those statements, "Taking note of the continued efforts of the OAU to ensure Sudan's compliance with the requests of the Central Organ of the OAU, and regretting that the Government of Sudan has not responded adequately to the efforts of the OAU, "Deeply alarmed that the Government of Sudan has failed to comply with the requests set out in paragraph 4 of resolution 1044 (1996) as reaffirmed in paragraph 1 of resolution 1054 (1996), "Reaffirming that the suppression of acts of international terrorism, including those in which States are involved is essential for the maintenance of international peace and security, "Determining that the non-compliance by the Government of Sudan with the requests set out in paragraph 4 of resolution 1044 (1996) as reaffirmed in paragraph 1 of resolution 1054 (1996) constitutes a threat to international peace and security, "Determined to eliminate international terrorism and to ensure the effective implementation of resolutions 1044 (1996) and 1054 (1996), and to that end acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, Security Council - 4 - Press Release SC/6258/Rev.1 3690th Meeting (PM) 16 August 1996 "1. Demands once again that the Government of Sudan comply fully and without further delay with the requests set out in paragraph 4 of resolution 1044 (1996) as reaffirmed in paragraph 1 of resolution 1054 (1996); "2. Notes the steps taken by some Member States to give effect to the provisions set out in paragraph 3 of resolution 1054 (1996), and requests those States that have not yet done so to report to the Secretary-General as soon as possible on the steps they have taken to that end; "3. Decides that all States shall deny aircraft permission to take off from, land in, or overfly their territories if the aircraft is registered in Sudan, or owned, leased or operated by or on behalf of Sudan Airways or by any undertaking, wherever located or organized, which is substantially owned or controlled by Sudan Airways, or owned, leased or operated by the Government or public authorities of Sudan, or by an undertaking, wherever located or organized, which is substantially owned or controlled by the Government or public authorities of Sudan; "4. Further decides that it shall, 90 days after the date of adoption of this resolution, determine the date of entry into force of the provisions set out in paragraph 3 above and all aspects of the modalities of its implementation, unless the Council decides before then, on the basis of a report presented by the Secretary-General, on the compliance of Sudan with the demand in paragraph 1 above; "5. Requests the Secretary-General, by 15 November 1996, to submit a report on the compliance of Sudan with the provisions of paragraph 1 above; "6. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter." Statements EL FATIH MOHAMED AHMED ERWA (Sudan) said his country firmly condemned terrorism based on its principles in support of peace and security. The Government and people of Sudan condemned all forms of terrorism, irrespective of the motives of those committing it. Sudan had not and would not use its territory to shelter those who had committed acts of terrorism. That country suffered when it heard of terrorist acts which took the lives of innocent civilians -- such acts were completely unacceptable to divine law and human conscience. Sudan wanted to reiterate its principles in the hope that the Council would understand its seriousness and honesty. "Sudan reiterates our strong condemnation of the tragic terrorist act that targeted the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak." Those who had committed that act must be brought to justice and punished. Sudan stood ready to cooperate with all those working towards that end. Security Council - 5 - Press Release SC/6258/Rev.1 3690th Meeting (PM) 16 August 1996 He went on to say that Sudan had sent a presidential envoy to Ethiopia to convey all of Sudan's information about the two Egyptian suspects to the Ethiopian Government. Sudan had even submitted the boarding pass of one of the suspects to Ethiopian authorities, but ironically, they had used that as evidence of the involvement of the Government of Sudan. Sudan had tried to find the suspect even before the adoption of the Council's resolution but had found no trace of him. Apparently, the suspect carried many passports for many States, including Ethiopia as well as Egypt, where he was a national. Sudan's investigation was continuing up to the present, aiming to find any information it could on that suspect. Another of the suspects was known to have had meetings with the mass media from his base located in an area out of the control of the Government of Afghanistan, he said. Sudan had worked to verify that information, and had contacted the Government of Afghanistan, and that country's Minister of Foreign Affairs had confirmed that the suspect was in Afghanistan in an area outside of the Government's control. "What is requested of Sudan now? If you don't have something you can't give it", he said. Asking Sudan to provide suspects which it did not have was akin to trying to square a circle. Perhaps they were just a pretext for imposing sanctions on Sudan. The third suspect -- also an Egyptian national -- was said to be married and to go by more than one name, he went on. That suspect was said to have been residing in a particular quarter of Khartoum. The Government of Sudan had searched for that individual but had not been able to locate him. In fact, that individual was fictitious. Other evidence led to the conclusion that the suspect did not exist. Information on the so-called third suspect was not sufficient to establish his existence. No entity, no security force, no police force no matter how qualified could find a suspect that did not exist. "Sudan is being required to chase mirages." Sudan had worked seriously to find the suspects, he stressed. Now the Sudanese people were being subjected to sanctions. Sudan had spared no effort, and had employed all of its capabilities combined with external assistance, but it had failed to find the suspects, thus confirming its belief that they were not in the country. Sudan shared the Council's belief that the suspects should be brought to justice, he said. It was committed to sharing all information it had on its ongoing investigation on the matter. However, Sudan could not be responsible for failing to find suspects who were not on its territory. Those claiming that the suspects were in Sudan must provide it with information on how to find them. Ethiopia, in which the crime had taken place, should be considered directly responsible, since it should have discovered the suspects during their entry into or departure from its territory. Security Council - 6 - Press Release SC/6258/Rev.1 3690th Meeting (PM) 16 August 1996 Sudan should not be subjected to sanctions that depended on unfounded information and secret sources, he continued. A number of serious questions were raised by the matter. The Security Council had made grave accusations against Sudan as a pretext to punish it, despite the fact that no evidence existed to prove that Sudan had been involved in the terrorist act. Still, Sudan had taken steps to follow-up on the matter. Sudan was known as a country that had always desisted from violence and advocated peace and love. In light of the Council's concerns, Sudan had expelled all foreigners who were under suspicion by various countries. The presence of many Arabs and Africans in Sudan had been the result of the Government's policy which did not require entry visas from some Arab and African States, he continued. That policy was similar to the one pursued by the European Union. It resulted in many Arab and African nationals entering the Sudan without records of their entry. That had caused concern among some States. Therefore, Sudan had reintroduced the visa system and now had records of all people entering its territory. Sudan had expelled a number of foreigners who had not been accused of crimes but did cause concern among some States because it wanted to be out of the circle of suspicion. Holding Sudan responsible for all terrorist acts would not stop terrorism, he said. Rather, the root causes of the problem must be tackled. Accusing certain States simply to condemn them was not a solution. Sudan desired to fight terrorism and cooperate with any State working towards that end. "Victims of terrorism are our fathers, our mothers and our brothers." Sudan had taken genuine and tangible steps which could be verified. "Sudan is a country which is open to anyone who would like to investigate the situation." Sudan had 10 neighbouring States, he continued. It had friendly relations with six of those States. Its relationship with Ethiopia had been good except for some border problems. The assassination attempt had caused a misunderstanding between the two countries, but their Presidents had subsequently met and had reiterated their intention to cooperate so that their relations would not deteriorate. Uganda was another neighbour, and that fact alone caused some bitterness for Sudan, he said, since Uganda had supported insurgents who had fought against the Government of Sudan. Sudan had tried to achieve a rapprochement between those two countries. It had never brought that particular situation to the Council's attention, but some of Sudan's problems with its other neighbours had been brought to the attention of the Council. Eritrea was a "poison dagger, a real wound festering on our border", he continued. The country's President had declared that it would provide armed Security Council - 7 - Press Release SC/6258/Rev.1 3690th Meeting (PM) 16 August 1996 support to any opposition groups working to topple the Government of Sudan. Sudan should not have to bear Eritrea's repeated aggressions and be blamed for them. It stood ready to repair relations with Eritrea. Egypt was another of Sudan's neighbours, he went on. The two had historical roots which were as old as the pyramids. The Presidents of the two countries had met recently with great success. The two countries had decided to establish new joint security arrangements. Sadly, Egypt had accused Sudan of prevaricating. That could not be justified. Sudan genuinely and honestly wished to improve its relations with Egypt. All Sudan asked for was justice and equality, and that the whole question be viewed objectively in light of the steps taken by Sudan, he stated. The Council was considering the imposition of sanctions which would cause great suffering among the people of Sudan. Rather than warning of further sanctions, the Council should encourage the steps which Sudan had taken so far. He questioned whether the international community was keen on punishing people through sanctions, stating that if the Council imposed sanctions today it would be acting unjustly. Sudan would ever remain sincere to its principles, in conformity with its heritage and its history. It would continue to comply with all of the Council's resolutions because it was fully committed to international peace and security. JOHN WESTON (United Kingdom) said the Council had to take further action as Sudan had not complied with resolutions 1044 (1996) and 1054 (1996). It had not extradited the three suspects wanted in connection with the assassination attempt on President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, and many of its neighbours were still concerned about its support for terrorist activities in their territories. The representative welcomed the Egyptian initiative of producing the resolution that the Council would vote on and expressed support for its contents. One of its demands was that Sudan ensure that the three suspects were taken to Ethiopia. He said he remained convinced that Sudan knew where the suspects were. If they were still in that country, the Government must extradite them to Ethiopia under the terms of the bilateral extradition treaty. If, as might be the case, Sudan had helped at least one of them to leave the country, the resolution required that the Government must take immediate action to bring about extradition to Ethiopia. He would not be satisfied until Sudan had secured that objective and ceased supporting international terrorism. While noting Sudan's efforts to distance itself from some of the terrorist groups it had supported, he demanded that it still had to comply with the demands of resolution 1044 (1996). The current resolution showed that the Council would not hesitate to impose air sanctions after a period of 90 days if Sudanese compliance was not forthcoming. Security Council - 8 - Press Release SC/6258/Rev.1 3690th Meeting (PM) 16 August 1996 EDWARD W. GNEHM (United States) said the international community had demanded that Sudan surrender the three remaining suspects responsible for plotting the terrorist attack on the President of Egypt and that it end its support for terrorism. The Government had so far refused to comply with those straight-forward requirements. "What we have witnessed instead is a phoney Sudanese public relations campaign to try to convince the world that Sudan has cooperated in the security field." The text made clear that the international community was neither confused nor distracted by Sudan's tactical ploys, he went on. Instead, it was prepared to apply measured, incremental pressure on the Government of Sudan until it fully met its obligations. The Council would act in a manner which carefully avoided aggravating the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. "We will ensure that if Sudan forces us to implement sanctions on its airline, humanitarian relief will continue." The draft resolution was a wake-up call to the Sudanese authorities. Because of the binding nature of the text, there could be no question of backtracking if the Sudanese remained obstinate. Continued Sudanese non-compliance with the demands of the international community not only would bring the measures outlined in today's draft into force, but would also compel consideration of further steps. SERGEY LAVROV (Russian Federation) said that his delegation condemned the attempt on the life of the Egyptian President and the participants should be brought to justice. The proposals made by Interpol had been left up in the air. Council members should be informed about the in camera trials going on in Addis Ababa. It seemed that one of the aims of the resolutions against Sudan had more to do with isolating the Government there. Voices that had opposed the imposition of sanctions on the bases of vague demands and without clear criteria and time limits had been ignored. The current draft repeated the practice of not stating when the sanctions might be lifted, he said. The draft made the imposition of an air embargo look inevitable. Sanctions were being imposed without considering the possible humanitarian effects. They were to be imposed not only on Sudan Airways but also other airlines. The rash use of sanctions could do real damage to the reputation of the Security Council. Broad support had been stated during informal consultation and in the General Assembly on the need to work out clear criteria and time-limits before the imposition of sanctions. But when it was time to take action, the old processes and practices were continued. In that regard, the Russian Federation would not vote for the text and would not stand in its way. Further actions, he said, should be based on a report of the Secretary- General, a consideration of the proposals of Interpol, and the progress being made in the in camera trials in Addis Ababa which should be transmitted to the Council. Sanctions should not be used to punish Governments that might not be to the liking of others. Security Council - 9 - Press Release SC/6258/Rev.1 3690th Meeting (PM) 16 August 1996 NUGROHO WISNUMURTI (Indonesia) expressed his delegation's support for a gradual approach in the light of the efforts of the Sudanese Government. That Government had stated in its letters that it had made efforts to find two of the three suspects and had also called upon the assistance of the Interpol. It had also condemned terrorism and taken necessary steps to ensure that it was not perpetrated from its territory. It had also made efforts to extradite many possible perpetrators of terrorism. Those efforts followed the spirit of paragraph 1 (b) of resolution 1054 (1996). He said he had noted that another letter had stated that efforts were being made to enhance ties between Egypt and Sudan as part of its intention to improve relations with its neighbours. However, based on the assumption that the three suspects were no longer in the country, the representative said, Sudan would therefore not be in position to comply fully with the provisions of the relevant resolutions. Given the lack of information at present, it would be more constructive for the Council to further encourage Sudan to make efforts to provide information on the suspects, including their whereabouts, by allowing more time in order to avoid overly harsh measures that in the end might be counterproductive. He expressed reservations regarding the imposition of wide-ranging sanctions against Sudan Airways, as reflected in paragraph 3. Although the ban on the airline was mainly targeted at its international flights, it could also affect the domestic activities, especially the transportation of humanitarian needs. Realizing that the date when the measures would come into effect would be determined by the Council 90 days after the date of the adoption of the draft text, the timeliness of incorporating such measures was not appropriate. "Moreover, our understanding regarding these modalities would also include a fixed duration for the imposition of such sanctions." He said that his delegation was concerned with the extent of the impact of sanctions on Sudan, one of the poorest countries in the world. Its imposition would harm innocent civilians and the economy. "Sanctions are not meant to be punitive. Therefore, the adverse humanitarian impact, in particular in the case of the Sudan, must not be so quickly disqualified." For the resolution to achieve it desired effect it should adhere strictly to the principle of non-punitive sanctions. The text, he went on, addressed the Sudanese Government's continued non- compliance with relevant provisions of resolutions 1044 (1996) and 1054 (1996). Considering the fact that the basic text remained that those responsible for the assassination attempt must be brought to justice and that the Sudan should comply with relevant Council resolutions and in the light of the observations he had made, the Indonesian delegations would vote for the draft text. PARK SOO GIL (Republic of Korea) expressed regret at the lack of progress in the implementation of certain provisions of resolution 1054 (1996) Security Council - 10 - Press Release SC/6258/Rev.1 3690th Meeting (PM) 16 August 1996 relating to steps to be taken by the Government of Sudan. "We believe the Sudanese Government can and should do better in its efforts to meet the demands of the Security Council." However, Sudan had taken some positive steps to implement other provisions of that text. "We welcome the Sudanese Government's condemnation of terrorism and its commitment to ensure that no terrorist activities are tolerated on Sudanese territory." Sudan's declared commitments should be backed up by further concrete actions. The draft before the Council aimed to send a clear message to Sudan that there was no substitute for compliance with the Council's demands, he said. It contained no forceful measures to be implemented immediately. The measures called for in the text were nothing more than a warning of what could follow if, and only if, the Government of Sudan failed to comply with the Council's demands within 90 days. "We appeal to Sudan not to underestimate the resolve of the international community to eradicate terrorism, and to make the best use of the additional grace period allowed under the resolution to comply fully and promptly with the demands of the Security Council." The Republic of Korea would vote in favour of the draft. QIN HUASUN (China) said his country opposed all forms of terrorism, including the very serious attack on the life of Egyptian President Mubarak. Since the Council's adoption of resolution 1054 (1996), all parties had taken steps to implement its terms. The Council should continue to encourage all sides to exert greater efforts to resolve the problem. China did not consider sanctions as a panacea, he said. Sanctions, rather than solving a problem, may further exacerbate it. Tightening sanctions against Sudan might further compound the problem. China had proposed amendments to the draft which had, regrettably, not gained acceptance. Therefore, China would have to abstain on the draft. FRANCESCO PAOLO FULCI (Italy) said the draft before the Council had been prepared by the three African members of the Council, and Italy appreciated their efforts. The draft met the Council's purpose to make known to the Khartoum Government the further measures that the Council was prepared to take. It was hoped that Sudan would comply with the resolution, thereby avoiding a dangerous isolation of that country from the international community. He said that the statement by the representative of Sudan indicated that its Government was aware of the need to do something about the perception in the international community about its provision of support to terrorists. However, the initiatives taken so far by Khartoum fell short of the Council's demand. Italy had long and traditionally intense relations with that part of Africa, he said, expressing his country's hope that genuine peace would return Security Council - 11 - Press Release SC/6258/Rev.1 3690th Meeting (PM) 16 August 1996 to the region. Italy had long provided and coordinated humanitarian assistance to the people of Sudan. At the same time, it must reaffirm that ending terrorism was essential to international peace and security. For that reason, Italy would vote in favour of the draft. MOTHUSI NKGOWE (Botswana) said Sudan should avoid pushing the Council into a more punitive mood due to its non-compliance with relevant Council resolutions. The draft text specified possible measures that could be taken against Sudan and gave it ample time to implement the relevant Council resolutions. Failure to do so would force the Council to impose some other measures. It would be unfortunate if, at the end of the 90-day grace period, the Council was to find itself in position where it would have to impose the measures in question. He implored the Sudanese Government to comply fully with the demands of resolutions 1044 (1996) and 1054 (1996). The adoption of the current text should compel the Government of Sudan to hand over the three suspects. He expressed the hope that it would be the last text that would be adopted on the matter. ALFREDO LOPES CABRAL (Guinea-Bissau) said that any State that had harboured terrorists or encouraged them was liable to some international action. His Government was determined to contribute to the struggle against terrorism in all its forms. The draft was not aimed against the people of Sudan but was meant to show the Government that it must take some action to show that it was not in support of terrorism. Non-compliance with Council decisions would only force the Council to take further actions. He expressed hope that within the time given, the measures indicated would have been taken by Sudan which would help ensure that the suspects were brought to trial. The resolution was then adopted as resolution 1070 (1996) by a vote of 13 in favour to none against, with 2 abstentions (China, Russian Federation). NABIL ELARABY (Egypt) said that since the adoption of resolution 1054 (1996), Sudan had insisted on continuing to avoid the implementation of the Council's requests. Egypt had hoped that the Sudanese regime would fully understand the Council's clear message that it would not tolerate any government that supported international terrorism or provided sanctuary to any individuals who had sold out their conscience and religion by deciding to use terrorism to achieve their goals. The President of Egypt had met with his Sudanese counterpart in the hope that the latter was sincere about dealing with terrorism. "Unfortunately, the hopes of Egypt have been dashed." Egypt realized that Sudan did not hope for dialogue, but had rather decided to use Egypt's consent to engage in dialogue to give the false impression to the international community that Sudan was acting on the matter. Sudan's refusal to implement the Council's resolutions had compelled the Council to act, he said. Egypt did have ties with Sudan which were as old as the Nile, enhanced by their many common characteristics and long relations. Security Council - 12 - Press Release SC/6258/Rev.1 3690th Meeting (PM) 16 August 1996 The common destiny between Egypt and Sudan was a fact that Egypt had been aware of since the dawn of history. Based on that, Egypt must repeat what had been said earlier, namely that Egypt did not accept anything that would cause harm to the Sudanese people, but its brothers in the Sudan must understand that the Council's resolutions must be implemented. Egypt called on the Sudanese Government to take advantage of the grace period provided for in the text to translate its words into action. Egypt, whose people felt real bitterness, hoped that there would be positive developments in Sudan regarding the extradition of suspects and the severance of all, not some but all, relations with terrorist organizations. Egypt was confident that the deep ties between it and Sudan would forever continue to be as strong as the Nile. HERVE LADSOUS (France) said that Sudan had not satisfied the demands of the Security Council resolutions. The efforts of the Government to fulfil the terms of the resolution, while welcome, were not enough. The new text had decided to impose the possibility of air sanctions against Sudan and the matter would be further acted upon in 90 days. The text should serve as an incentive to make the Sudanese Government comply fully with resolutions and should not be seen as punishment against the people of Sudan. The Government should use the 90 days to show that the sanctions might be avoided, since they were not necessarily inevitable. ZBIGNIEW MATUSZEWSKI (Poland) said that Sudan had failed to comply with the provisions of resolutions 1044 (1996) and 1054 (1996). The Government of Sudan should undertake immediate steps to fulfil its obligations, including measures that would ensure the extradition of the suspects. The resolution adopted confirmed that the international community expected Sudan's Government to follow the provisions of international law, he said. It would prove the Council's determination to pursue all options in influencing the behaviour of those responsible for supporting international terrorism. By postponing further action until a later date, the resolution has given the Government one more chance to take long overdue action. Those were some of the reasons why Poland had voted for the text. RODRIGO ESPINOSA (Chile) said his country had voted in favour of the resolution. It had long been concerned about the assassination attempt against the Egyptian President. The resolution just adopted should be understood as an incentive, not a punishment. It allowed a reasonable time for Sudan to meet its requirements. In the time called for in the text, the Council would again assess the situation. If, regrettably, measures did have to be adopted, the Council would work to ensure that the sanctions would not affect the people of Sudan. "In our view, in the struggle against terrorism, we must ensure that the response does not affect innocent people." The Council President, TONO EITEL (Germany), speaking as the representative of his country, said that the Security Council had twice Security Council - 13 - Press Release SC/6258/Rev.1 3690th Meeting (PM) 16 August 1996 adopted resolutions asking for the extradition of the suspects and calling upon the Sudanese Government to desist from any support for terrorist activities. The representative said that decisions on further sanctions were not easy and sanctions should not be used as punishment. Aimed at those who could take required measures, they should not cause unnecessary hardships for the civilian population. Sudan had been given 90 days to comply with Council resolutions and should show that its words were followed by deeds. The Government should give evidence of its cooperation, do its best to bring about the extradition of the suspects and provide the international community with all the information necessary to enable the suspects to be tried in Ethiopia. * *** * United Nations
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