madam president the european commission is deeply concerned like you by the sudanese decision to expel thirteen international as well as to suspend three national humanitarian ngos and two national human rights ngos following the icc indictment of president bashir
six of these international ngos operate with ec humanitarian funding amounting to a total of eur ten million
those organisations provide essential services to millions of sudanese in darfur and in other areas of sudan
the suspension of their activities is therefore not only highly regrettable but will also seriously affect the humanitarian situation as many of you have said
in a statement commissioner michel has already expressed our deepest concern and urged the government of sudan to reconsider the value of their decision and to urgently restore these ngos to their full operational status
if the full impact of the sudanese decision is still being assessed it is clear that the lives of hundreds of thousands of people might be at risk in darfur
appropriate measures need to be taken urgently as the approaching rainy season and the yearly hunger gap will soon exacerbate the humanitarian vulnerability of the four point seven million people directly affected by the conflict
we know that the government is not going to reverse its decision under further international pressure calling into question its decision to expel the ngos in question
if we cannot persuade the government to reverse the expulsion orders we have to engage the sudanese authorities in order to put in place the appropriate delivery mechanisms
in this respect we must certainly hold the sudanese government fully accountable for its assurances that it takes full responsibility for delivering humanitarian aid
it is also our duty to take the necessary contingency measures with respect to our assistance
sudan is the commission's single largest humanitarian operation eur one hundred and ten million in two thousand and nine
the commission together with other donors like the united nations and the ngos and other humanitarian partners is currently looking into how best to redesign the humanitarian response in order to avoid dramatic consequences
it is not an easy task as the expelled ngos were among those very capable of working in such difficult and remote areas
these contingency measures will clearly require some cooperation and agreement with the sudanese authorities
in this respect it is essential to insist on strict separation between the humanitarian activities and the political agenda
on the political front we will have to maintain maximum diplomatic pressure on the sudanese authorities and the rebel movements alike to reach peace in darfur
we will also have to press for the full implementation of the north-south comprehensive peace agreement
the stakes are very high and it is our responsibility not to let sudan be engulfed in a nightmare scenario of country-wide instability
the eu as a whole will respect the icc's guidelines and maintain only essential contacts with sudanese president bashir
however and here it is crucial that as i said before we maintain dialogue with khartoum we should ensure that the government's reaction to the icc indictment is as restrained as possible
if we cut off all relations the hardliners among the government may retaliate against civilians humanitarian workers and unmis personnel
the recent decision to expel several ngos is we think the first step which could be followed by many more situations like the present one and we have to monitor that carefully
a worst-case scenario of a halt in the implementation of the cpa and an attempt by the government to find a military solution to the darfur crisis must be avoided
with regard to the african union i can just tell you that we are maintaining contact with them but i cannot say any more at this stage
