Peace Laureates join Darfur action

Nobel Peace Prize laureates, politicians, artists, writers, and sportsmen and women from across the world added their voices to the growing clamour for China to help bring peace in Darfur.

In a letter emblazoned on the front page of the Independent newspaper to be published on Thursday more than 80 eminent people followed the lead of director Steven Spielberg and voiced their protest at the bloodshed in the arid region of Sudan.

"As the primary economic, military and political partner of the government of Sudan, and as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, China has both the opportunity and the responsibility to contribute to a just peace in Darfur.

"Ongoing failure to rise to this responsibility amounts, in our view, to support for a government that continues to carry out atrocities against its own people," the letter said.

Signatories included eight Nobel Peace Prize winners such as archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu of South Africa, Ireland's Betty Williams, Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo of East Timor and Elie Wiesel of the United States.

They also included American author Dave Eggers, South African musician Hugh Masekela, British playwright Tom Stoppard, Canadian Olympic sailor Sabrina Kolker and Jaques Rogge of the International Olympic Committee.

Some 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been driven from their homes in more than four years of conflict in Sudan's western region of Darfur, according to estimates by international experts. Khartoum puts the death toll at 9,000.

China, which has a major trading relationship with Sudan including arms and oil, has so far refused to use its influence to support international efforts to force Khartoum, accused by many of supporting the killings, to bring peace.

"As host of the 2008 Olympic Games, China has a special role to play in ensuring that its actions this year are commensurate with the Olympic ideals of peace and international co-operation." the letter said.

"As the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games approach, we will continue to call on the Chinese government for action. We are aware of the tremendous potential for China to help bring an end to the conflict in Darfur.

"We will continue to watch for concerted and consistent Chinese action to ensure rapid deployment of UN-AU peacekeepers, progress in the peace talks, and an end to the use of rape as a weapon of war," it said.

- Reuters