[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 116 (Thursday, July 19, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9624-S9625]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

 SENATE RESOLUTION 276--CALLING FOR THE URGENT DEPLOYMENT OF A ROBUST 
AND EFFECTIVE MULTINATIONAL PEACEKEEPING MISSION WITH SUFFICIENT SIZE, 
  RESOURCES, LEADERSHIP, AND MANDATE TO PROTECT CIVILIANS IN DARFUR, 
    SUDAN, AND FOR EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN THE RENEWAL OF A JUST AND 
                        INCLUSIVE PEACE PROCESS

  Mr. BIDEN (for himself, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Brownback, Mrs. 
Clinton, Mr. Feingold, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Durbin, Ms. 
Mikulski, and Mr. Harkin) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 276

       Whereas hundreds of thousands of people have died and 
     approximately 2,500,000 people have been displaced in Darfur, 
     Sudan since 2003;
       Whereas Congress declared on July 22, 2004 that the 
     atrocities in Darfur were genocide;
       Whereas President George W. Bush has repeatedly decried the 
     genocide in Darfur, stating, for example, on April 18, 2007, 
     ``that genocide is the only word for what is happening in 
     Darfur--and that we have a moral obligation to stop it'';
       Whereas the crisis in Darfur and the surrounding region 
     continues and has in fact in some ways worsened despite the 
     efforts of the United States, the United Nations, the African 
     Union, and the international community;
       Whereas on August 30, 2006, the United Nations Security 
     Council approved United Nations Security Council Resolution 
     1706 providing that the existing United Nations Mission in 
     Sudan (UNMIS) ``shall take over from [the African Mission in 
     Sudan (AMIS)] responsibility for supporting the 
     implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement upon the 
     expiration of AMIS' mandate but in any event no later than 31 
     December 2006'', and that UNMIS ``shall be strengthened by up 
     to 17,300 military personnel . . . up to 3,300 civilian 
     police personnel'', which ``shall begin to be deployed no 
     later than 1 October 2006'';
       Whereas the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir rejected 
     United Nations Security Council Resolution 1706 and refused 
     to allow the United Nations to deploy a peacekeeping force to 
     Darfur;
       Whereas Kofi Annan, then Secretary-General of the United 
     Nations, and Alpha Oumar Konare, Chairperson of the African 
     Union, led efforts to reach a compromise with President al-
     Bashir by convening a summit of interested governments and 
     international bodies in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on November 16, 
     2006;
       Whereas as a result of the Addis Ababa summit an agreement 
     was reached by all parties, including the United Nations, the 
     African Union, the European Union, the Government of Sudan, 
     the United States, and China, which called for a three-phased 
     deployment of a hybrid United Nations-African Union 
     peacekeeping force to Darfur of no less than 17,000 military 
     troops and 3,000 civilian police, with a primarily African 
     character, but open to non-African troop and police 
     contributors;
       Whereas the agreement stated that the United Nations-
     African Union hybrid force would have a strong mandate to 
     protect civilians and that the peacekeeping force must be 
     logistically and financially sustainable, with support from 
     the United Nations;
       Whereas President al-Bashir has repeatedly obstructed the 
     Addis Ababa agreement since its signing by reneging on and 
     redefining the terms of his commitment to allow the 
     deployment of the full hybrid United Nations-African Union 
     force;
       Whereas on June 11, 2007, President al-Bashir pledged to 
     accept unconditionally the full United Nations-African Union 
     hybrid deployment;
       Whereas some subsequent speeches and statements by 
     President al-Bashir have contradicted that claim of 
     acceptance while others have reinforced it;
       Whereas diplomatic efforts to secure President al-Bashir's 
     genuine acceptance and facilitation of the full United 
     Nations-African Union hybrid force must not lead to weakening 
     of the structure, capacities, or mandate of that force in 
     exchange for President al-Bashir's full compliance;
       Whereas history has repeatedly demonstrated that the 
     ultimate success or failure of any peacekeeping force depends 
     significantly on its size, resources, mandate, mobility, and 
     command structure;
       Whereas to establish conditions of peace and security, the 
     peacekeeping mission must be accompanied by a peace-building 
     process among the parties to the conflict;
       Whereas such a process will require a sustained, 
     coordinated, and high-level diplomatic attempt to unify the 
     rebel groups in the region and engagement with the rebels and 
     the Sudanese government in order to forge a comprehensive 
     political settlement;
       Whereas under the international humanitarian law of the 
     Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian 
     Persons in Time of War, done at Geneva August 12, 1949 (6 UST 
     3516) and the Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions 
     of 12 August 1949, done at Geneva June 8, 1977, all parties 
     to the conflict in Darfur are required to refrain from 
     attacks on civilians and on medical and other humanitarian 
     personnel, and all perpetrators should be held accountable 
     for violations of international humanitarian law; and
       Whereas failure on the part of the international community 
     to take all steps necessary to generate, deploy, and maintain 
     an effective United Nations-African Union hybrid peacekeeping 
     force will result in the continued loss of life and further 
     degradation of humanitarian infrastructure in Darfur: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) urges the President of the United States to--
       (A) work with members of the United Nations Security 
     Council and the African Union to ensure the expeditious 
     deployment of the United Nations-African Union hybrid 
     peacekeeping force under Chapter VII of the United Nations 
     Charter and operating under United Nations guidelines and 
     procedures for command and control with a mandate affirming 
     that civilian protection is a primary mission objective;
       (B) strongly encourage the member states of the United 
     Nations that have the capabilities to do so, to contribute 
     collectively approximately 19,500 military personnel and up 
     to 6,500 police to implement the mandate, as is currently 
     under discussion in the United Nations Security Council;
       (C) work bilaterally and with member states of the North 
     Atlantic Trade Organization, the United Nations, the European 
     Union, the African Union, and other capable partners to--
       (i) rapidly implement pre-deployment programs and provide 
     equipment to United Nations standards, with a special focus 
     on African peacekeepers, in order to ensure that a full 
     complement of peacekeepers can be deployed, sustained, and 
     rotated as necessary; and
       (ii) provide the United Nations-African Union hybrid force 
     with--

       (I) sufficient logistical support and airlift capacity;
       (II) necessary vehicles, fixed-wing aircraft, and 
     helicopters for tactical reconnaissance and armed deterrence; 
     and
       (III) other equipment;

       (D) work with members of the United Nations and the African 
     Union to--
       (i) ensure that substantive civilian mission components are 
     rapidly established and able to capitalize on any 
     opportunities to advance the political and peace processes 
     which the successful deployment of the United Nations-African 
     Union hybrid force may create;
       (ii) reinitiate a peace-building process among the parties 
     to the conflict as part of a sustained, coordinated, high-
     level diplomatic effort to forge a comprehensive political 
     settlement; and
       (iii) ensure the security, maintenance, and expansion of 
     humanitarian access to those in need and promote a return to 
     the rule of law in the region;
       (E) work with members of the United Nations, the African 
     Union, the European Union, and other donor nations to ensure 
     that adequate financial support is provided to peacekeepers 
     serving in the current African Mission in Sudan, and the 
     planned hybrid United Nations-African Union force; and
       (F) work with Congress to ensure robust funding for the 
     hybrid United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission in 
     Darfur;
       (2) urges the Secretary-General of the United Nations and 
     the Chairperson of the African Union to make every effort to 
     expedite the urgent generation, rapid deployment, and 
     effective administration of the full United Nations-African 
     Union hybrid force;
       (3) urges Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and the 
     Government of Sudan to abide by the agreement of President 
     al-Bashir to fully accept and facilitate the deployment of 
     the United Nations-African Union hybrid force without 
     condition;
       (4) urges the President's Special Envoy to Sudan to 
     continue his legislative outreach, including offering to 
     brief Congress every 60 days on the status of deployment of 
     the United Nations-African Union hybrid peacekeeping force 
     and parallel measures to enable peace in Darfur through an 
     inclusive political process; and
       (5) urges President George W. Bush, the United Nations 
     Security Council, the African Union, the European Union, the 
     League of

[[Page S9625]]

     Arab States, nations in the region, and individual nations 
     with significant economic or political influence over Sudan 
     to--
       (A) hold President al-Bashir and the Government of Sudan 
     accountable for any failure through neglect or obstruction to 
     fully facilitate the deployment of the full United Nations-
     African Union hybrid force for Darfur; and
       (B) be prepared to implement meaningful measures, including 
     the imposition of multilateral sanctions, an arms embargo, 
     and a no fly zone for Sudanese military flights over Darfur, 
     if the Government of Sudan obstructs deployment of the agreed 
     upon peacekeeping mission.

  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, today Senator Lugar and I introduce a 
resolution calling for the urgent deployment of a peacekeeping mission 
to Darfur, but also laying out some benchmarks for that mission.
  We are all aware of the terrible carnage that 4 years of genocide 
have wrought in Darfur and the surrounding region. Hundreds of 
thousands of people have been killed and millions more have been driven 
into camps.
  The world has watched, it has passed resolutions, and it has decried 
the killings, but it has not stopped them.
  Last month brought the welcome news that the Sudanese government had 
finally agreed once again, the deployment of a full-scale, joint 
peacekeeping operation by the United Nations and the African Union.
  But in the weeks since then, President al-Bashir has fallen into his 
old pattern of backpedaling away from his commitments, of accepting the 
mission but seeking to impose conditions, and of alternately agreeing 
to the troops and then recanting.
  President Bashir may be wavering, but the world must not.
  The resolution that we are introducing today expresses Congress's 
determination to move forward in support of this peacekeeping mission 
and reaffirms the minimum standards of this mission, which the Khartoum 
government must not be allowed to bargain away.
  It is critical that the United Nations and the African Union hold 
firm on the structure, capacity, command and control mechanisms, and 
mandate of the peacekeeping force. We cannot negotiate down on the 
force levels that are needed; this resolution supports the ongoing 
efforts at the United Nations Security Council to pass a resolution 
authorizing approximately 20,000 peacekeeping troops and over 6000 
police personnel.
  In addition to numbers, it is equally important that the mission have 
the mandate to protect Darfur's civilians and the means to carry out 
that mandate.
  All the resolutions in the world, however, will not save the people 
of Darfur if the international community does not contribute the forces 
and equipment that are needed for this peacekeeping mission.
  This resolution urges the member states of the United Nations to step 
up to volunteer the needed forces. It also urges the President to work 
with these countries and the African Union and NATO to expedite 
deployment.
  Together with our partners, we must ensure that the UN-AU force has 
the people and the equipment to do the job, including the air assets 
that will be needed to patrol an area that is the size of Texas but 
lacks both roads and infrastructure. We must also take steps to ensure 
humanitarian access and security for those bringing aid to the millions 
of people in Darfur who are in need. We cannot continue to allow 
attacks against humanitarian workers to take place with impunity.
  Our resolution also emphasizes that peacekeeping must be accompanied 
by a reinvigorated peace-building effort. Chaos and fragmentation are 
accelerating in Darfur by the day. Blue helmeted troops are not enough: 
Khartoum, the rebel groups, and leading nations like the U.S. must all 
work toward a lasting and inclusive peace agreement on the ground.
  I am committed to working with the administration to help secure the 
resources that are needed to fund this mission. If commitments for 
crucial equipment are not forthcoming, then the U.S. should help 
provide them--we have the best troops and the best equipment in the 
world and we must stand ready to assist this effort to bring four years 
of murder, rape, and destruction to an end.
  Finally, I will conclude as our resolution does: if Khartoum does not 
fulfill its part of the agreement and allow the full deployment of the 
peacekeeping mission, then the international community must impose 
multilateral sanctions, an expanded arms embargo, and a no fly zone 
over Darfur.
  The world stands at a critical moment: we must collectively assume 
our responsibility to protect the people of Darfur, either through the 
fulfillment of this peacekeeping mission or the imposition of 
meaningful countermeasures. Four years of killing are four years too 
many.

                          ____________________