[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 504 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 504

Calling on the League of Arab States to acknowledge the genocide in the 
    Darfur region of Sudan and to step up their efforts to stop the 
                          genocide in Darfur.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 8, 2006

 Ms. Lee (for herself, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Al Green of Texas, Ms. Watson, 
Mr. Payne, Ms. Schwartz of Pennsylvania, Mr. Serrano, Mr. George Miller 
 of California, Mr. Honda, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr. Cummings, Mr. 
Capuano, Ms. Carson, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mrs. Tauscher, Mr. Holt, 
 Mr. Reichert, Mr. Crowley, Ms. Norton, Mr. Wexler, Mr. Lipinski, Mr. 
 Moran of Virginia, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Miller of North 
Carolina, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Meek of Florida, Mr. 
Lantos, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Ms. Waters, Mr. Fattah, Mr. Stark, Mr. 
Berman, Mr. Cleaver, Ms. Kilpatrick of Michigan, Mr. Davis of Illinois, 
 Mr. Wynn, Mr. Engel, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Ms. Harman, Mr. Costa, Mr. 
Kennedy of Rhode Island, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Davis of Alabama, Mrs. Jones 
of Ohio, Mr. Schiff, Ms. Millender-McDonald, Mr. Farr, Mr. Meeks of New 
 York, Ms. Woolsey, and Mr. Olver) submitted the following concurrent 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION



Calling on the League of Arab States to acknowledge the genocide in the 
    Darfur region of Sudan and to step up their efforts to stop the 
                          genocide in Darfur.

Whereas in July 2004, the House of Representatives and Senate declared that the 
        atrocities in the Darfur region of Sudan constitute genocide, and the 
        Bush administration reached the same conclusion in September 2004, when 
        then Secretary of State Colin Powell stated that ``the evidence leads us 
        to the conclusion that genocide has occurred and may still be occurring 
        in Darfur'';
Whereas more than 400,000 people have been killed by the Government of Sudan and 
        its Janjaweed allies since the crisis began in 2003, more than 2,000,000 
        people have been displaced from their homes, and more than 250,000 
        people from Darfur remain in refugee camps in Chad;
Whereas the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Jan 
        Egeland, in late August 2006 stated that ``[i]nsecurity is at its 
        highest level since 2004, access at its lowest levels since that date, 
        and we may well be on the brink of a return to all-out war'';
Whereas despite the signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement in May 2006, violence 
        against civilians, peacekeepers, and humanitarian workers continues 
        unabated, and an estimated 12 humanitarian workers have been killed in 
        Darfur, including a nurse in September 2006;
Whereas in August 2006, the Government of Sudan began to deploy thousands of 
        government troops for a major offensive in Darfur, once again 
        threatening a major humanitarian catastrophe and risking the safety and 
        security of millions of civilians;
Whereas, according to the Government of Sudan's plan, in a document submitted to 
        the United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, the Government of 
        Sudan plans to deploy approximately 26,500 additional troops and 7,050 
        additional police to Darfur;
Whereas the objectives of this deployment are ``to deal with the threats posed 
        by the activities of groups that have rejected the Darfur Peace 
        Agreement and to gain control over the security situation and achieve 
        stability in Darfur'';
Whereas on August 31, 2006, the United Nations Security Council passed 
        Resolution 1706, expanding the mandate of the United Nations Mission in 
        Sudan (UNMIS) for the additional deployment of 17,300 peacekeeping 
        troops and 3,300 civilian police personnel as well as 16 formed police 
        units to Darfur;
Whereas implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the 
        Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) is 
        slow, raising serious concern about the commitment of the Government of 
        Sudan to fulfill its responsibilities;
Whereas President Omar Hassan El-Bashir of Sudan has rejected the deployment of 
        a United Nations peacekeeping force to Darfur, even as First Vice 
        President Salva Kiir has publicly stated his support for the deployment 
        of a United Nations peacekeeping mission to Darfur;
Whereas in March 2006, at the Khartoum summit, Arab leaders worked against a 
        plan to transform the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) into a 
        United Nations protection force with a mandate to protect civilians;
Whereas on August 20, 2006, in Cairo, Egypt, the League of Arab States met and 
        backed Sudan's refusal of a United Nations peacekeeping force in the 
        war-wracked Darfur region;
Whereas in September 2006, a resolution passed by the Arab League's Council of 
        Foreign Ministers called for the United Nations Security Council to give 
        the Sudanese Government more time to implement its ``plan to improve 
        conditions and preserve security'' in Darfur;
Whereas on September 20, 2006, the Security and Peace Council of the African 
        Union approved a decision to extend the mandate of AMIS in Darfur to the 
        end of 2006;
Whereas, although the United Nations is set to send peacekeeping forces to 
        Darfur under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1706 (2006), the 
        Arab League allegedly remains engaged in behind-the-scenes efforts to 
        obstruct the deployment of such forces or reduce their mandate;
Whereas the November 30, 2006, Abuja Communique of the Peace and Security 
        Council of the African Union states the following:

    (1) The Special Representative shall be jointly appointed by the 
Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union and the Secretary-
General of the United Nations, after appropriate consultations as per the 
practice.

    (2) The Force Commander, who should be an African, shall be appointed 
by the Chairperson of the Commission in consultation with the Secretary-
General of the United Nations.

    (3) The Mission shall benefit from United Nations backstopping and 
command and control structures and systems.

    (4) The size of the force shall be determined by the African Union and 
the United Nations, taking into account all relevant factors and the 
situation on the ground, as well as the requirements for it to effectively 
discharge its mandate.''; and

Whereas the support of the Arab League to end the genocide in Darfur will be 
        critical: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) strongly urges the League of Arab States to declare the 
        systematic torture, rape, and displacement of Darfurians a 
        genocide;
            (2) strongly urges the Arab League to agree and pass a 
        resolution at their next meeting to support and accept United 
        Nations peacekeepers as the best option to enforce the 
        ceasefire, protect civilians, ensure access to humanitarian 
        assistance in Darfur; and
            (3) strongly urges the Arab League to work with the United 
        Nations, the African Union and the United States Presidential 
        Special Envoy for Sudan, Andrew Natsios, to bring about real 
        and lasting peace and stability to Darfur, the refugee camps, 
        and along the Chadian border.
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