[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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