Darfur, Al Qaeda, and a Former Congressman

A former Michigan congressman, Mark Siljander, was indicted last week for alleged dealings with Islamic terrorists in Afghanistan. Federal authorities say he lobbied for Islamic charities tied to Al Qaeda and the Taliban. But Mr. Siljander claims he also served as mediator between Secretary-General Ban and Sudan's President Bashir. The extent of his brokering role is in dispute.

As the Los Angeles Times's Maggie Farley reported Saturday, Mr. Siljander and several diplomats say the former congressman now heading the Washington-based lobbying group Global Strategies Inc. was involved with the extensive diplomacy conducted by the United Nations to end Darfur's genocide. U.N. officials say his role was "limited" and "voluntary." Mr. Siljander claims credit for the idea of setting up a peacekeeping force under joint United Nations-African Union command, which convinced Mr. Bashir to allow a U.N. presence in his country.

Mr. Siljander's cause in recent years was to promote Christian-Muslim understanding by what his GSI Web site describes as "forging coalitions through a vast network of high-level international contacts." He wrote a book, "Deadly Misunderstanding: A Congressman's Quest to Bridge the Muslim-Christian Divide."

The indictment last week was announced in Kansas City just as Mr. Ban left Madrid, Spain, where he opened a U.N.-sponsored Alliance of Civilization conference – meant to bridge that same divide. Mr. Ban came into office in the aftermath of the oil-for-food. Diplomatically, he delved quickly into a small set of conflicts he thought the United Nations is well positioned to handle. With America busy militarily elsewhere and the rest of the world expressing none of Washington's moral outrage, Mr. Ban took over much of the Darfur file.

By definition, the United Nations is an organization that loathes confrontation. Even in the face of unspeakable atrocities it would prefer applying gentle persuasion to combat.

With the Security Council backing, Mr. Ban has charted a two-track course for Sudan – diplomatic and military. The diplomacy has achieved very little so far. Meanwhile, the idea that Mr. Siljander says he had helped develop – a so-called "hybrid" force of 25,000 troops to defend Darfur's villagers – has so far proved disastrous for the U.N. and very good for Mr. Bashir, who has never liked allowing the presence of foreign troops in his country.

Deterred by the fuzzy chain of "hybrid" command and the dangerous Darfur assignment, Western countries are slow to contribute troops and assets. When they do, Mr. Bashir vetoes their participation. The U.N.'s peacekeeping commanders, meanwhile, have been slow to organize the Darfur force. No one — except perhaps President Clinton, who has been promising implementation of the idea in the next Clinton administration — believes such a force will be available anytime soon to end Sudan's wars.

Mr. Bashir and his allies need to be confronted with serious punitive measures, and possibly with force, or the Darfur atrocities will only intensify.

bavni@nysun.com