[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 50 (Tuesday, May 2, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E681-E682]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              DARFUR PEACE AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2006

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 2, 2006

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Darfur Peace 
and Accountability Act, and I thank my colleague from New Jersey, Mr. 
Payne, for his leadership on this issue--it is one of the critical 
moral issues of our times.
  I am proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation. It is long overdue, 
and I hope that we remember that passing this bill is not the end of 
our country's moral obligation to Darfur--merely a starting point for 
our nation to begin addressing some of the serious problems in that 
part of the world.
  This legislation arrives on the floor of this House not a moment too 
soon--at time when famine and war have already killed between 200,000 
and 400,000 people and displaced over 2 million more Sudanese. It is 
nothing less than a humanitarian disaster--and unfortunately one that 
appears to be getting worse.
  Among the many tragedies is that, put simply, it did not have to be 
this way. With the end of the civil war in southern Sudan, these last 
six months ought to have been an opportunity for progress in Darfur.
  Instead, we have seen only more war, more famine, more despair. 
According to the latest reports, the latest wave of attacks has found 
thousands of people being chased from dozens of villages by government-
backed militias, with death-squad attacks on civilians in Darfur and 
violence now spilling over into neighboring Chad as well.
  And while the African Union forces--numbering only 7,000--are doing 
what they can, they simply do not have the resources to carry out such 
a broad mission--particularly with the Sudanese government appearing to 
be actively obstructing their work. Indeed, one senior U.N. official 
recently predicted ``massively increased mortality'' unless effective 
peacekeepers are installed.
  And unfortunately, that has proven increasingly difficult. After two 
years of sanctions and countless resolutions adopted by this Congress 
and by the United Nations, the government of Sudan continues to defy 
the will of the

[[Page E682]]

international community. That makes our action here today ever more 
important--extending the embargo against Sudan and giving the Treasury 
Department the authority to freeze the assets of known supporters of 
the genocide.
  Also critical are this legislation's provisions to get the U.N. back 
into Darfur. Just last week, the government of Sudan blocked the United 
Nations' top emergency aid official from visiting the western Darfur 
region. That is why this bill directs the president to use our nation's 
position on the U.N. Security Council to resolve this matter.
  In my view, the best way to end this bloodshed and this human 
suffering is for the government of Sudan to immediately let the U.N. in 
to safeguard the residents of Darfur. But should the U.N. not be 
allowed in, this bill also grants the president the authority to summon 
NATO and get it more involved--an authority we must not hesitate to 
use. NATO's readiness to provide more support to the African Union may 
well prove critical.
  Mr. Speaker, we have arrived at a critical juncture. It has been 12 
years since the world saw the horror of genocide in Rwanda--a half-
century since we saw it on the European continent. Each time, the world 
has said ``never again,'' only to stand by as it happens again and 
again. Today, the House is giving the Administration the tools it needs 
to act to stop the killing in Darfur--it is a step forward, but 
certainly not be the last.
  Let's pass this legislation and ensure that the people of Darfur can 
return to their homes and live their lives in peace.

                          ____________________