[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 98 (Tuesday, July 19, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8499-S8500]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   URGING THE GOVERNMENT OF SUDAN AND THE SUDAN PEOPLE'S LIBERATION 
 MOVEMENT/ARMY TO FULLY IMPLEMENT THE COMPREHENSIVE PEACE AGREEMENT OF 
                            JANUARY 9, 2005

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now 
proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 202, which was submitted 
earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 202) urging the Government of Sudan 
     and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army to fully 
     implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of January 9, 
     2005.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr President, I have submitted this resolution with regard 
to Sudan, a country in Africa I have personally spent a lot of time in 
and participated with, both in the south and the north, in promoting 
peace there.
  There have been 2 million people who have died in the Sudan as a 
product of a civil war that is now about 24 years old, and about 5 to 6 
million people have been displaced.
  The Sudan Peace Act looked predominantly at the north versus the 
south, although it is much more complicated than that oversimplified 
comment. It is a separate issue than the Darfur crisis in western 
Sudan, which this body has also paid a lot of attention to.
  Real progress is being made in that part of the world, but continued 
focus will be required to bring peace to that part of Africa.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed 
to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid 
upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 202) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 202

       Whereas the people of Sudan have been devastated by war for 
     all but 10 years since Sudan gained its independence in 1956;
       Whereas the second civil war in Sudan between the 
     Government of Sudan in the north and the Sudan People's 
     Liberation Army in the south began in 1983 and lasted for 
     more than 20 years;
       Whereas more than 2,000,000 people died and more than 
     4,000,000 people were internationally displaced or became 
     refugees as a direct or indirect result of the civil war in 
     Sudan;
       Whereas the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's 
     Liberation Movement/Army failed on numerous occasions to 
     bring a peaceful and just end to the civil war in Sudan 
     throughout the 1990s;
       Whereas in September 2001, President George W. Bush 
     appointed former Senator John Danforth as Special Envoy for 
     Peace in Sudan to explore the potential of the United States 
     to become involved in searching for a just resolution to the 
     civil war in Sudan, and appointed Andrew Natsios, the 
     Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
     Development, as the Special Humanitarian Coordinator for 
     Sudan to enhance the delivery of assistance that could help 
     reduce the suffering of the people of Sudan;
       Whereas in July 2002, the Government of Sudan and the Sudan 
     People's Liberation Movement/Army reached the historic 
     Machakos Protocol, an agreement on the role of religion in 
     Sudan and the right to self-determination for the people of 
     southern Sudan;
       Whereas in October 2002, the Government of Sudan and the 
     Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army signed a memorandum 
     of understanding that called for a cessation of hostilities 
     and unimpeded humanitarian access to all areas of Sudan;
       Whereas peace talks continued throughout 2003, with 
     discussions focusing on wealth sharing and the control of 3 
     contested areas of Sudan;
       Whereas on November 19, 2004, the Government of Sudan and 
     the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army signed a 
     declaration committing themselves to reach a final 
     comprehensive peace agreement by December 31, 2004, in the 
     context of a special session of the United Nations Security 
     Council;
       Whereas on November 19, 2004, the United Nations Security 
     Council unanimously adopted Security Council Resolution 1574, 
     which welcomed the commitment of the Government of Sudan and 
     the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army to reach an 
     agreement by the end of 2004, and highlighted the intention 
     of the international community to assist the people of Sudan 
     and support the implementation of a comprehensive peace 
     agreement;
       Whereas the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's 
     Liberation Movement/Army initialed the final elements of a 
     comprehensive peace agreement on December 31, 2004;
       Whereas on January 9, 2005, the Government of Sudan and the 
     Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army formally signed the 
     Comprehensive Peace Agreement;
       Whereas the Comprehensive Peace Agreement provides for a 
     new constitution, new arrangements for power sharing and 
     wealth sharing, and a 6-year interim period to be followed by 
     a referendum in southern Sudan so that the people of southern 
     Sudan can decide their political future;
       Whereas the Comprehensive Peace Agreement provides for new 
     institutions to be created and a new Government of National

[[Page S8500]]

     Unity to be installed in Sudan once the constitution is 
     ratified;
       Whereas despite progress on reaching a peace agreement on 
     the North-South conflict there has been little progress to 
     end the ongoing conflict in the region of Darfur;
       Whereas after tens of thousands of civilians died due to a 
     targeted campaign of violence by the government of Khartoum, 
     Congress declared on July 22, 2004, that the atrocities in 
     Darfur were genocide, committed primarily by the Government 
     of Sudan and its allied Janjaweed militias;
       Whereas on September 9, 2004, Secretary of State Colin 
     Powell testified that ``genocide has been committed in 
     Darfur'';
       Whereas on June 30, 2005, President Bush confirmed that 
     ``the violence in Darfur region is clearly genocide [and] the 
     human cost is beyond calculation'';
       Whereas the Comprehensive Peace Agreement provides a model 
     for the resolution of all conflicts in Sudan, including 
     Darfur, eastern Sudan, and elsewhere;
       Whereas on July 9, 2005, the 6-year interim period under 
     the Comprehensive Peace Agreement began with the formation of 
     a new transitional government and the signing of an interim 
     constitution, and Dr. John Garang, the Chairman of the Sudan 
     People's Liberation Movement/Army, was sworn in by President 
     Omar Hassan al Bashir as First Vice President of Sudan;
       Whereas millions of the people across Sudan continue to 
     suffer from the effects of war, including displacement and 
     war-related disease, hunger, and malnutrition;
       Whereas the people of southern Sudan are in desperate need 
     of reconstruction assistance to build and improve vital 
     infrastructure components that are nearly nonexistent in 
     southern Sudan;
       Whereas despite the historic signing of the Comprehensive 
     Peace Agreement in January 2005, the key to success will now 
     be the full and timely implementation of the agreement by all 
     sides, wholly consistent with the letter, spirit, and intent 
     of the agreement; and
       Whereas the impact and efficacy of the Comprehensive Peace 
     Agreement will also be measured by the political resolution 
     of ongoing conflict in other parts of Sudan, including Darfur 
     and the east of Sudan: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commends the people of Sudan on the signing of the 
     historic Comprehensive Peace Agreement on January 9, 2005;
       (2) urges the new Government of National Unity of Sudan, 
     consisting of elements of the National Congress Party and the 
     Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army, to fully implement 
     the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in a timely manner 
     consistent with the letter, spirit, and intent of the 
     agreement;
       (3) requests that the United States Government--
       (A) commit to high-level, sustained engagement to closely 
     monitor the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace 
     Agreement and events on the ground in Sudan, including in 
     Darfur and elsewhere; and
       (B) sustain pressure as appropriate to ensure the 
     Comprehensive Peace Agreement is implemented in a full, 
     timely, and thorough manner;
       (4) urges the United States Government--
       (A) to maintain sanctions on the Government of Sudan as 
     appropriate until the Comprehensive Peace Agreement has been 
     fully honored and implemented; and
       (B) to renew efforts to implement additional sanctions 
     through the United Nations Security Council until peace in 
     Darfur is achieved and those responsible for genocide, war 
     crimes, crimes against humanity, and criminal acts are 
     brought to justice;
       (5) strongly urges the Government of National Unity of 
     Sudan to use the Comprehensive Peace Agreement as the basis 
     for negotiation of a peaceful resolution of the conflicts in 
     Darfur and other areas of Sudan;
       (6) strongly supports the expansion of the size and role of 
     the mission of the African Union in Darfur to protect 
     civilians in Darfur and encourages continued support for this 
     mission from the United States, the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization, and other countries and international 
     organizations;
       (7) strongly supports the United Nations Mission in the 
     Sudan and the expansion of this mission to protect civilians 
     and aid workers throughout Sudan;
       (8) supports the continued provision of humanitarian and 
     reconstruction assistance from the United States to the 
     people of southern Sudan, in addition to the assistance 
     allocated for the people of Darfur, so that the people of 
     Sudan may experience and appreciate the benefits of peace;
       (9) supports international efforts to facilitate the safe 
     and voluntary return of refugees and internationally 
     displaced persons to their homes in Sudan; and
       (10) calls upon the governments of all countries in the 
     Sudan region and around the world to actively support and 
     monitor the full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace 
     Agreement to help ensure that the people of Sudan pursue the 
     path to peace, prosperity, and security.

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