[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 65 (Monday, May 14, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E790-E791]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    FOREIGN RELATIONS AUTHORIZATION ACT, FISCAL YEARS 2002 AND 2003

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                               speech of

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 10, 2001

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1646) to 
     authorize appropriations for the Department of State for 
     fiscal years 2002 and 2003, and for other purposes:

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to urge the presidential 
appointment of a Special Envoy for Sudan to facilitate bringing an end 
to the atrocities associated with the eighteen-

[[Page E791]]

year civil war. It is time for the United States to take a strong stand 
against the situation in the Sudan. Slavery, aerial bombardment of 
civilians, and other numerous human rights abuses victimize the people 
of Sudan. I believe that the President's appointment of a high-profile 
individual with an extensive diplomatic background will send a serious 
message to the government of Khartoum that slavery and the violence 
must end.
  Sudan has been at war intermittently since its independence in 1956. 
An estimated 2.2 million people have died as a result of war-related 
causes since the current conflict erupted in 1983. More than 4 million 
people, mostly southern Sudanese, have been displaced, largely due to 
the conflict.
  I commend President Bush on his appointment of Andrew Narsios, as 
special humanitarian coordinator for Sudan to facilitate U.S. 
assistance. This appointment demonstrates that the United States is 
taking a leadership role in resolving the situation in the Sudan, 
however we as a nation we must continue our efforts to put an end to 
the atrocities in the Sudan.
  I also applaud Secretary of State Powell for recognizing the tragedy 
that is underway in Sudan and for ordering a review of Administration 
policy. To begin with, the U.S. should use every means at its disposal 
to bring the military hostilities to an immediate end.
  At the same, we should apply every bit of moral persuasion and 
condemn in the loudest possible voice the unspeakable violations of 
human rights being perpetrated against the weakest members of that 
society.
  In the Sudan the world is faced with a human rights nightmare of the 
first order. We have the opportunity, indeed the responsibility, to use 
our international leadership to help end the civil war and the 
heartbreaking enslavement of women and children which has intensified 
as a result of the hostilities.
  As a nation with first-hand knowledge of the savagery of slavery, of 
the misery to its victims, and the suffering of future generations, we 
must recoil in horror at the practice of slavery in Sudan and work with 
the international community to end the war which is the root cause.

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