Whereas since the conflict in Darfur, Sudan began in 2003, hundreds of thousands
of people have been killed and more than 2,500,000 displaced as a
result of the
ongoing and escalating violence;
Whereas on July 23, 2004, Congress declared, the atrocities unfolding in
Darfur, Sudan, are genocide
and on September 23, 2004, then Secretary of
State Colin Powell stated before the Committee on Foreign Relations
of the Senate
that, genocide has occurred and may still be occurring in Darfur,
and
the Government of Sudan and the Janjaweed bear
responsibility
;
Whereas on October 13, 2006, the President signed the Darfur Peace and
Accountability Act (Public Law 109–344), which identifies the
Government of Sudan as
complicit with the forces committing genocide in the Darfur region
and urges the
President to, take all necessary and appropriate steps to deny the Government
of Sudan access to oil revenues
;
Whereas President George W. Bush declared in a speech delivered on April 18, 2007,
at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum that no one can doubt that
genocide is the only word for what is happening in
Darfur—and that we have a
moral obligation to stop it
;
Whereas the presence of approximately 7,000 African Union peacekeepers has not
deterred the violence and the increasing attacks by the
Government-sponsored
Janjaweed militia and rebel groups;
Whereas the Government of Sudan has previously refused to allow implementation of
the full-scale peacekeeping mission authorized under United Nations
Security Council
Resolution 1706;
Whereas former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan subsequently negotiated
a compromise agreement with the Government of Sudan for a hybrid
United
Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission to be implemented in 3
phases;
Whereas the African Union and the United Nations have both affirmed that the
Government of Sudan has now stated that it will accept
implementation of a hybrid
United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission;
Whereas the Sudanese government has reneged on and obstructed earlier
agreements;
Whereas it is critical that the nations of the world, and particularly the members
of the United Nations Security Council, take steps to implement the
full deployment
of this hybrid peacekeeping mission as soon as possible;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China has long-standing
economic and military ties with Sudan and continues to strengthen
these ties in
spite of the on-going genocide in Darfur, as evidenced by the
following
actions:
(1)
China reportedly purchases as much as 70 percent of Sudan's oil;
(2)
China currently has at least $3,000,000,000 invested in the Sudanese energy
sector, for a total of $10,000,000,000 since the 1990s;
(3)
Sudan's Joint Chief of Staff, Haj Ahmed El Gaili, recently visited Beijing for
discussions with Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gang Chuan
and other military
officials as part of an eight-day tour of China; Cao
pledged closer military
relations with Sudan, saying that China was willing to further develop
cooperation between the two militaries in every
sphere
;
(4)
China has reportedly cancelled approximately $100,000,000 in debt owed by the
Sudanese Government; and
(5)
China is building infrastructure in Sudan and provided funds for a
presidential palace in Sudan at a reported cost of
approximately
$20,000,000;
Whereas given its economic interests throughout the region, China has a unique
ability to positively influence the Government of Sudan to abandon
its genocidal
policies and to accept United Nations peacekeepers to join a hybrid
United
Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission;
Whereas the President's Special Envoy to Sudan, Andrew S. Natsios, further said in
testimony on April 11, 2007, that Chinas substantial economic investment in
Sudan gives it considerable potential leverage, and we have
made clear to
Beijing that the international community will expect China
to be part of the
solution
;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China has previously influenced
the Government of Sudan to take steps toward reducing violence and
conflict
by—
(1)
abstaining from, and choosing not to obstruct, several important votes in the
United Nations Security Council on resolutions related to
Sudan, including
Resolution 1556, which demanded Sudan disarm militias in
Darfur, and Resolution
1706, which called for the deployment of additional United
Nations peacekeepers,
including up to 17,300 military personnel and up to 3,300
civilian
police;
(2)
helping to facilitate the Addis Ababa framework reached on November 16, 2006,
which provides for a joint United Nations-African Union
peacekeeping
force;
(3)
sending high-level delegations, including Chinese President Hu Jintao, to
Sudan, and encouraging President Bashir to show flexibility
and allow the joint
United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force to be
deployed;
(4)
making frequent public statements that the Government of Sudan must carry out
agreements made within the Addis Ababa framework of
November 2006 to admit
United Nations peacekeepers to join the United
Nations-African Union
peacekeeping force in Darfur;
(5)
pledging to provide military engineers to support African Union peacekeeping
forces in Darfur;
(6)
announcing on May 10, 2007, the appointment of a senior diplomat as China's
special representative on African affairs who is to focus
specific attention on
the Darfur issue; and
(7)
reportedly exercising its influence to help convince the Khartoum government
to accept the hybrid peacekeeping mission;
Whereas due to its vast population, its rapidly growing global economy, its large
research and development investments and military spending, its
seat as a permanent
member of the United Nations Security Council and on the
Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation, China is an emerging power that is increasingly
perceived as a leader
with significant international reach and responsibility;
Whereas in November 2006, China hosted its third Forum on China-Africa Cooperation
with more than 40 heads of state in attendance and which focused
heavily on trade
relations and investment on the African continent as it is expected
to double by
2010;
Whereas China is preparing to host the Olympic Summer Games of 2008, the most
honorable, venerated, and prestigious international sporting event;
Whereas China should be held accountable to act consistently with the Olympic
standard of preserving human dignity in Darfur, Sudan and around
the world;
and
Whereas China has previously been reluctant to use its full influence to improve
the human rights situation in Darfur, but recent events have
demonstrated the impact
that China can have as a positive influence on this situation: Now,
therefore, be
it
That the Senate—
(1)
recognizes the close relationship between China and Sudan and strongly urges
the Government of the People's Republic of China to use its
full influence
to—
(A)
urge the President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, to abide by his agreement to
allow a robust peacekeeping force under United
Nations command and control
as described in United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1706;
(B)
call for Sudanese compliance with United Nations Security Council
Resolutions 1556 and 1564, and the Darfur Peace
Agreement, all of which
demand that the Government of Sudan disarm militias
operating in
Darfur;
(C)
call on all parties to the conflict to adhere to the 2004 N'Djamena
ceasefire agreement and the recently-agreed United
Nations communique which
commits the Sudanese government to improve
conditions for humanitarian
organizations and ensure they have unfettered
access to the populations they
serve;
(D)
emphasize that there can be no military solution to the conflict in Darfur
and that the formation and implementation of a
legitimate peace agreement
between all parties will contribute toward the
welfare and stability of the
entire nation and broader region;
(E)
urge all rebel groups to unify and assist all parties to come to the
negotiating table in good faith;
(F)
urge the Government of southern Sudan to play a more active role in
pressing for legitimate peace talks and take
immediate steps to support and
assist in the revitalization of such talks along 1
single coordinated
track;
(G)
continue to engage collaboratively in high-level diplomacy and
multilateral efforts toward a renewed peace
process; and
(H)
join the international community in imposing economic and other
consequences on the Government of Sudan if that
government continues to
carry out or support attacks on innocent civilians
and frustrate diplomatic
efforts; and
(2)
recognizes that the spirit of the Olympics, which is to bring together nations
and people from all over the world in peace, is
incompatible with any actions,
directly or indirectly, supporting acts of genocide.