The Arab League has rejected any sanctions or international military intervention as a response to the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region.

Of course we do; if we make an exception, who's next? One of the rest of us? How many of us? Say, wait, has anyone noticed none of us are democracies? (Iraq is not yet fully re-admitted, so far as I know, nor yet precisely a democracy, either.) Wait a second! Crap. We're all oligarchies or dictatorships, some more benign than others, some more repressive. Why didn't anyone tell us this before?!

Arab foreign ministers at an emergency session in Cairo backed Khartoum's measures to disarm Arab militias and punish human rights violators.

Said "measures" being along the lines of waving at the militias and saying "so long, boys! Have fun storming the castle!"

They called on the UN to give Sudan more time to resolve the conflict.

I think a century or two might be sufficient, don't you? But let's not be rash; put a provision for extension into the resolution.

And Sudanese Vice-President Ali Osman Taha said he thought the UN's end of August deadline was impractical.

August, 2100, is much more convenient for us; does that work for you?

He told the BBC's Hard Talk programme that Khartoum was committed to disarming all militia forces in Darfur. He said 6,000 Sudanese police and government troops were currently in Darfur, and there were plans to expand the force to 12,000.

Since most of the "police" and the "militias" are the same people, this should work out well.

"We are really committed to disarm whoever is acting outside the law," he said, adding that comprehensive stability was only possible if both the Arab Janjaweed militia and rebel groups disarmed.

"Our Janjaweed/police are inside the law. We must preserve the right to drive out, rape, and kill the black abeed/slaves."

But he added that logistical problems were hampering deployment,

It is difficult for us to kill and rape as fast as we'd like with all the damn foreigners around now.

...which meant that fully disarming the Arab Janjaweed militia, and other forces, by the end of August would not be possible.

[...]

Mr Moussa said before the talks that the group was inclined towards helping Sudan avoid sanctions.

Is anyone in need of smelling salts? I have some right here. No one? Okay, then.

The BBC's Magdi Abdelhadi in Cairo said there were no surprises in the Arab League statement and Khartoum got what it wanted.

The statement welcomed measures already taken by the Sudanese government to disarm the Janjaweed and bring those responsible for human rights violations in Darfur to justice.

The Arab foreign ministers also pledged to assist Sudan and the international community in resolving the conflict peacefully.

Our correspondent says the statement was very much in line with a report by an Arab League fact-finding mission to Darfur earlier this year, which largely exonerated the Sudanese government from responsibility and laid the blame on a combination of factors, including protracted drought, tribal conflict and under-development in western Sudan.

[...]

Human Rights Watch has demanded the Arab League "stand behind the victims" in Darfur.

Its Africa division chief Peter Takirambudde accused Sudan of "trying to manipulate opinion in the Arab world to hide the massive crimes it has committed against Sudanese citizens".

The Arab League replied "I can't heeeaaarre you!," and went back to passing resolutions condemning Israel for its indiffence to human life.

Read The Rest Scale: 1.5 out of 5.

Gary Farber's home blog is Amygdala.