[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 25 (Thursday, March 2, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1660-S1661]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SUDAN PEACE AGREEMENT
Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to
consideration of S. Res. 388, submitted earlier today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk
will report the resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 388) urging the Government of the
National Unity of Sudan and the Government of Southern Sudan
to implement fully the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that was
signed on January 9, 2005.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I applaud my Senate colleagues for
supporting this resolution urging all parties in Sudan to implement
fully the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended Sudan's decades-long
civil war.
For more than 50 years, Sudan has been plagued by war and violence.
In fact, since gaining independence in 1956, the people of Sudan have
known only 10 years of peace. But, last January, following painstaking
negotiations and numerous unsuccessful attempts at peace, the
Government of Sudan in the north and the Sudan People's Liberation
Movement in the south signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement,
bringing an end to Sudan's second civil war that lasted more than 20
years.
This second civil war led to the deaths of more than 2 million
people, and an additional 4 million were internally displaced or became
refugees. I have visited Sudan on a number of occasions, and I have met
with the victims and survivors of this tragedy. The CPA offers the
Sudanese people a chance at a peaceful and secure life. It is time for
the agreement to be fully implemented.
In the past year, the government of Sudan and the SPLM have taken
concrete steps to implement certain parts of the CPA. For example, the
two sides have ratified a new national constitution and have formed a
government of National Unity in Khartoum and a Government of Southern
Sudan based in Juba in the south.
However, the overall pace of implementation has been slow and
insufficient, and both parties have failed to meet certain benchmarks
or adopt the recommendations of the commissions established to monitor
the CPA's implementation. These include the formation of Joint
Integrated Units, which aim to integrate forces from both the north and
the south, a more equitable distribution of resources between the north
and the south, and a full and transparent accounting of Sudan's oil
revenues.
The implementation of the CPA is particularly urgent for the people
of Southern Sudan. In this region alone, the World Food Program
estimates that more than 2.9 million people were severely and adversely
affected by the civil war.
Last month, I met with Mrs. Rebecca Garang. She currently serves as
the Minister for Roads and Transport for the Government of Southern
Sudan. She is also the wife of the late John Garang, the long-time
leader of the SPLM who successfully negotiated the CPA but died
tragically in a helicopter crash last summer.
During our talks, Mrs. Garang stressed the humanitarian and
reconstruction needs of the Southern Sudanese people. They are in
desperate need of assistance to build and improve vital infrastructure
components such as an education system, a health care system, and a
transportation system that are virtually non-existent in Southern
Sudan.
At the end of the current six-year interim period, the CPA provides
for the people of Southern Sudan to decide their own political future
in a referendum. But in order to achieve John Garang's vision of a new,
united Sudan, the people of Southern Sudan must see the tangible
benefits of peace.
Implementing the CPA can also have a positive impact on ending the
genocide in Sudan's western region of Darfur. Unfortunately, since the
signing of the agreement, little progress has been made in ending this
genocide. Hundreds of thousands have already died as a result of
violence, disease, and malnutrition. And, millions more have been
internally displaced or continue to languish in refugee camps in
neighboring Chad.
However, the CPA can serve as a basis for a peacefully negotiated end
to the genocide in Darfur. For this reason, it is even more vital for
the full and complete implementation of the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement.
Until that time, the United States should continue to apply pressure
on the Government of National Unity in Khartoum to fully implement the
CPA. This includes maintaining the sanctions that are currently in
place.
In addition, we need to continue to expand our humanitarian and
reconstruction assistance to the people of Southern Sudan. Delivering
to them the real benefits of peace will strengthen their support of the
CPA and for a united Sudan.
During my travels to Sudan, I have heard first-hand accounts of the
violence, suffering, and insecurity endured by so many in Sudan. Much
of the Sudanese population has never known or experienced any sustained
period of peace, stability, or security. This needs to change.
Those in leadership in Sudan need to proceed with full implementation
of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. And, I urge the United States and
the international community to take concrete, assertive steps to
demonstrate their continued solidarity with the Sudanese people to help
them achieve their goal of a peaceful and stable Sudan.
I ask unanimous consent 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. 388) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 388
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 Movement in the south lasted for more than 20
years;
Whereas more than 2,000,000 people died and more than
4,000,000 people were internally displaced or became refugees
as a direct or indirect result of the civil war in Sudan;
Whereas, on January 9, 2005, the Government of Sudan and
the Sudan People's Liberation Movement signed the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which ended Sudan's 21-year
civil war;
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 parties have implemented parts of the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement, such as the ratification of
the new constitution and the formation of the Government of
National Unity and the Government of Southern Sudan;
Whereas the overall pace of implementation of the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement has been slow and insufficient;
Whereas the recommendations of many of the commissions
established by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement have yet to
be implemented;
Whereas 1 of the keys to a lasting and durable peace in
Sudan is the full and timely implementation of the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement by all sides, wholly consistent
with the letter, spirit, and intent of the agreement;
Whereas, despite the signing of the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement and an end to the civil war, there has been little
progress made in ending the genocide in Sudan's western
region of Darfur;
Whereas hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians have
died in Darfur as a result of violence, disease, and
malnutrition, and millions more have been internally
displaced or sought refuge in refugee camps in neighboring
Chad;
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 United States and the international community
must not neglect the humanitarian and reconstruction needs of
the people of Southern Sudan;
[[Page S1661]]
Whereas, according to the World Food Program, more than
2,900,000 people in Southern Sudan have been severely
affected by the civil war;
Whereas the people of Southern Sudan are in desperate need
of reconstruction assistance to build and improve vital
infrastructure components, such as an education system, a
health care system, and a transportation system, that are
nearly nonexistent in Southern Sudan;
Whereas the current humanitarian crisis in Southern Sudan
is considered 1 of the worst in decades; and
Whereas the reconstruction process in Southern Sudan is
vital to delivering the benefits of peace to the people of
Southern Sudan and stability to the region: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) strongly urges the new Government of National Unity of
Sudan to implement fully the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in
a timely manner consistent with the letter, spirit, and
intent of the agreement;
(2) calls on the Government of National Unity to meet the
terms of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to achieve an
equitable distribution of wealth and resources between the
North and the South and to provide a full and transparent
accounting of Sudan's oil revenues;
(3) urges the United States Government--
(A) to maintain appropriate pressure on the Government of
National Unity to implement fully the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement;
(B) to maintain sanctions and pressure on the Government of
National Unity until the Comprehensive Peace Agreement has
been fully implemented and the crisis in Darfur has been
resolved; and
(C) to address, as appropriate, any legal barriers which
prevent humanitarian and reconstruction operations in
Southern Sudan;
(4) 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;
(5) strongly urges the Government of National Unity 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; and
(6) strongly urges all countries in the region and the
international community to support actively the full
implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
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