BRUSSELS, July 26 (AFP) - The European Union called Monday for the UN Security Council to pass a resolution threatening sanctions on Sudan if it fails to immediately meet pledges to defuse the crisis in Darfur.
EU foreign ministers, while welcoming a partial improvement in aid access to the western region, expressed its "dissatisfaction that the government of Sudan has not implemented the other most urgent obligations" it faces.
"There is no indication that the government of Sudan has taken real and provable steps to disarm and neutralize the armed militia, including the Janjaweed," they said in a statement.
They described as worrying reports that some members of the militia had been integrated into the military forces.
"There are continuing reports about massive human rights violations by the armed militia including the janjaweed, including systematic rape of women," they added.
Given unsatisfactory cooperation by Khartoum, "the Council (of EU ministers) appeals to the (UN Security Council) to pass a resolution with a view to taking further actions, including imposing sanctions, in case the government of Sudan does not immediately fulfil its obligations and commitments," they said.
The conflict in Darfur began in February 2003 with a rebel uprising against Khartoum, protesting that the largely black African region had been ignored by the Arab government.
In response, the pro-government Janjaweed and other militias went on the rampage, carrying out what aid and rights agencies have called a brutal and systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing.
The conflict has claimed between 30,000 and 50,000 lives and about 1.2 million have been displaced, with around 200,000 people taking refuge in neighboring Chad, according to UN officials.
Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, declined to specify what sanctions might be imposed on Khartoum.
"That is something we have to consider later. Now that the Sudanese government has promised full cooperation, let us encourage them," he told reporters.