UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th December, 2019) The UN Security Council should consider tightening the sanctions regime on South Sudan if the government and opposition do not implement the peace agreement, US Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft said.
"If South Sudan's leaders can't implement basic provisions of their own agreement, the Council should consider a stronger and expanded sanctions regime. Indeed, the threat of sanctions and their implementation appear to be among the only actions that convinced the parties to make progress," Craft told the UN Security Council on Tuesday evening.
The South Sudanese government and opposition missed the November 7 deadline to implement a power-sharing agreement, but did agree to extend the so-called pre-transitional period by 100 days.
Besides the missed deadline, Craft said the government has been reappointing officials accused of serious human rights violations while both, government and opposition, continue recruiting fighters.
Craft said countries in the region should hold South Sudan's leaders accountable for failing to take steps toward settling the crisis because the entire region stands to suffer if the ongoing peace process collapses.
Meanwhile, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy asked the UN Security Council's members to abstain from applying unilateral pressure that would distract the South Sudanese parties from adhering to the peace deal.
Russia believes that after the South Sudanese manage to reach agreement on the whole gamut of issues, there will be a need to review the sanctions regime, with the aim of tailoring it to reflect realities on the ground, Polyanskiy said.
