Oxfam urges Blair to press US on anti-genocide deal

LONDON: Oxfam urged British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Monday to press the United States into backing a UN accord to stop genocide. The British charity praised Blair’s government for supporting the agreement, which would commit states to action should another mass murder such as that in Rwanda were to reoccur. But it urged Blair to use his influence to convince doubters to join in. The United States is trying to water down the agreement while India, Russia and Brazil have tried to block the measure, Oxfam said. The deal is on the agenda for the September 14-16 UN summit in New York, with final negotiations to start on Monday over what the biggest-ever gathering of world leaders will announce. “This is an opportunity for the prime minister to show his commitment to a progressive foreign policy agenda,” said Oxfam director Barbara Stocking. “As negotiations resume today we’re urging Britain to use every diplomatic resource at its disposal to secure an agreement designed to stop future genocides. afp

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