[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 43 (Thursday, April 6, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E541]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              DARFUR PEACE AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2006

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 5, 2006

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this important 
legislation, the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act.
  The people of this troubled region have experienced almost 
unimaginable suffering. As many as 400,000 people have already lost 
their lives and two million more have been forced from their homes. The 
House of Representatives, along with the Senate and the Administration, 
have long acknowledged that the crimes being committed in Darfur amount 
to genocide.
  Last month the House voted to provide $271 million for peacekeeping 
in Darfur and another $228 million in humanitarian aid as part of the 
Supplemental Appropriations bill. This funding is a welcome and 
necessary step in the right direction. Today we take another step with 
the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act.
  This legislation directs the President to take a number of steps to 
stop the genocide in Darfur. This includes providing assistance to an 
expanded African Union force in Darfur, advocating a NATO role in 
stopping the violence, pushing for an additional United Nations 
Security Council Resolution regarding Darfur, and freezing the assets 
of those responsible for acts of genocide.
  I am pleased that this legislation emphasizes a multilateral 
approach. The entire international community has a responsibility to 
work together to stop these crimes against humanity, and the bill 
before us makes clear that we expect the President to work with our 
allies to stop the killing in Darfur.
  The United States and the international community must do far more to 
break the cycle of violence and hunger that grips Darfur. In a word, we 
must put real resources and diplomacy into solving the problem. This 
legislation advances these goals, and I urge my colleagues to support 
it.

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