Whereas, since the conflict in Darfur, Sudan, began in
2003, hundreds of thousands of people across the region have been murdered,
tortured, and raped, with more than 2,500,000 people driven from their homes as
a result of ongoing violence, and all parties to the conflict continue to
attack civilians throughout the region, while impeding access of humanitarian
workers;
Whereas armed groups move freely among Sudan, Chad, and
the Central African Republic, committing murder, banditry, forced recruitment,
mass displacement, gender-based violence, and other crimes undermining regional
security and exacerbating a cross-border humanitarian crisis;
Whereas, on July 31, 2007, the United Nations Security
Council passed Security Council resolution 1769 (2007), authorizing a joint
United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) to implement the Darfur
Peace Agreement and protect civilians;
Whereas only one-third of UNAMID peacekeepers have been
deployed to the region and those deployed remain under-equipped to protect
civilians and are the target of deliberate attacks by armed militias;
Whereas a new joint African Union-United Nations chief
mediator, Burkina Faso’s foreign minister, Djibril Bassole, has been appointed
to reignite stalled peace talks between the parties in Darfur and help
establish a cessation of hostilities;
Whereas fighting erupted in Sudan’s oil-rich Abyei region
on May 13 and 21, 2008, leaving 18 civilians dead and giving rise to concerns
about a breakdown of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which could ruin
progress made over the last three years toward lasting peace in southern Sudan
and ensnare the wider region into overlapping conflicts;
Whereas the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal
Court charged the President of Sudan on July 14, 2008, with orchestrating
genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur, elevating hopes for
accountability but also fears of retaliation against peacekeepers, humanitarian
workers, and civilians;
Whereas the Government of the People’s Republic of China
has long-standing economic and military ties with Sudan, giving it significant
influence on the Government of Sudan;
Whereas, from August 8 to August 24, 2008, China will host
the Olympic Summer Games, the most venerated and prestigious international
sporting event;
Whereas there is a tradition of an Olympic Truce,
originating in ancient Greece, to ensure the safety of athletes traveling to
the ancient Olympic Games, the importance of which was reaffirmed in 2003 by
the United Nations;
Whereas the Olympic Truce traditionally begins one week
before the Olympic Games and extends one week after the end of the Paralympic
Games;
Whereas, on October 16, 2007, the United Nations General
Assembly passed resolution G/A 62/L.2, “Building a better and more peaceful
world through sport,” which urges Member States to observe, within the
framework of the Charter of the United Nations, the Olympic Truce, individually
and collectively, during the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing, and to
cooperate with the International Olympic Committee in its efforts to use sport
as an instrument to promote peace, dialogue, and reconciliation in areas of
conflict during and beyond the Olympic Games period; and
Whereas the situation in Sudan and the neighboring region
remains highly volatile as the Olympics approach: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
(1)expresses its
continued support and sympathy for the hundreds of thousands of civilians of
Sudan, Chad, and the Central African Republic who have been affected by the
ongoing violence and regional instability;
(2)recognizes the
unique opportunity presented by the Olympics and calls on the United Nations,
the African Union, and other international leaders to use it to promote peace,
dialogue, and reconciliation in areas of conflict and commends those Olympic
and Paralympic athletes seeking to advance that cause;
(3)recognizes the
close relationship between the Governments of People’s Republic of China and
Sudan, and strongly urges the Government of the People’s Republic of China to
use its full influence to press the Government of Sudan to commit to a
cessation of hostilities, allow the full deployment of UNAMID peacekeeping
forces, and engage in good faith in efforts to rejuvenate peace talks;
(4)calls upon the
Government of Sudan and other armed actors in the region to immediately adopt a
cessation of hostilities, during which they allow unfettered humanitarian
access and the full deployment of UNAMID peacekeeping forces as well as engage
in good faith efforts to rejuvenate peace talks;
(5)welcomes the
efforts of the new joint African Union-United Nations mediator, Mr. Djibril
Bassole, to revive a comprehensive peace process with all stakeholders to end
the violence, demobilize militias, and promote voluntary return of internally
displaced persons and refugees;
(6)urges the
President and the international community to ensure that mediation efforts are
supported and backed by credible leverage through targeted pressure and an
enforced arms embargo;
(7)calls upon the
United Nations and African Union to use the opportunity presented by a
cessation of hostilities to fully deploy and equip UNAMID as well as strengthen
the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) to better monitor the Abyei region;
and
(8)encourages the
United Nations Secretary-General and other international leaders to publicly
promote the principles reflected in the Olympic Truce among all the warring
parties in Sudan, Chad, the Central African Republic, and other areas of
conflict around the world.