[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 111 (Monday, September 11, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9309-S9310]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. LUGAR:
  S. 3884. A bill to impose sanctions against individuals responsible 
for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, to support 
measures for the protection of civilians and humanitarian operations, 
and to support peace efforts in the Darfur region of Sudan, and for 
other purposes; read the first time.
  Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill that is a 
product of a significant amount of consideration and work within our 
Congress over the last year and a half. The Darfur Peace and 
Accountability Act of 2006 has had many iterations since both the 
Senate and the House introduced legislation by the same name in 2005. 
Each piece of legislation that has been introduced has contributed to 
Congress's understanding of this issue and has ensured a more complete 
and thoughtful response.
  There is a consensus within Congress that the genocidal policies of 
the Bashir regime in Sudan must be condemned and opposed. Many Members 
have introduced bills and resolutions dealing with the crisis, and 
Members have been vocal about the urgency of this issue through 
hearings, statements, visits to the region, and other activities. This 
consensus has been supported by numerous groups and individual 
Americans who have lent their voices to the effort to prevent genocide 
and their resources to provide relief to those in the region who are 
facing violence and bleak circumstances.
  The legislation I am introducing today is intended to provide a 
vehicle upon which Members can quickly concur and consolidate their 
efforts in providing needed authorities for our State Department and 
targeted sanctions to compel Khartoum to comply with their agreements. 
Regrettably, the Darfur Peace Agreement appears to be faltering with 
the ill-advised rejection of the U.N. resolution establishing a U.N. 
peacekeeping force to transition from the overburdened African Union 
mission in Sudan. The situation has become insecure for humanitarian 
operations and as threatening to the people of the region as it has 
ever been. The United Nations Security Council resolution authorizing a 
peacekeeping force for Darfur is a unanimous signal that the 
international community is

[[Page S9310]]

committed to seeing no further violence take place in Darfur. Sudan, as 
a member of the United Nations, must abide by this decision of the 
international community. Their national and international 
responsibility is to serve and protect their people, and the suffering 
and killing in Darfur must end. The gargantuan humanitarian effort to 
provide basic necessities for more than 2 million displaced persons 
requires unrestricted access by national and international aid 
organizations, as well as the U.N.-mandated peacekeeping force to 
ensure their security.
  This legislation also seeks to help consolidate the difficult road to 
recovery in southern Sudan in accordance with the Comprehensive Peace 
Agreement for Sudan. I have included additional authorities for our 
officials to provide assistance to southern Sudan, as well as Darfur. 
Such economic and military assistance is necessary and requires close 
consultation with Congress to ensure assistance is not manipulated or 
misdirected. The bill also sustains existing sanctions on Sudan in 
direct response to their violation of agreements they have made. The 
President will have the authority to waive these restrictions if he 
determines such action is in our national interest; so the flexibility 
he requires is there as well.
  Finally, in further support of peace and to assist U.S. diplomats, 
targeted sanctions are authorized on individuals whom the President 
determines are ``complicit in, or responsible for, acts of genocide, 
war crimes, or crimes against humanity in Darfur.'' These sanctions 
include blocking assets and refusing to grant individuals entry to the 
United States. Further, this legislation encourages the President to 
prevent entry at our ports to certain ships in order to deny the 
Government of Sudan oil revenues and access to deliveries of military 
equipment. The only exception to such entry should be for those vessels 
providing assistance in carrying out the elements of the Sudan peace 
agreements or humanitarian assistance.
  Shifting circumstances on the ground in Sudan and at the United 
Nations have complicated our efforts to achieve consensus on 
legislation that would help our diplomats resolve the Darfur crisis. I 
believe this legislation can win majority support in the Senate, and I 
hope it will receive favorable consideration in the House.
                                 ______