[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 37 (Wednesday, March 5, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S1653]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      CALLING FOR PEACE IN DARFUR

  Mr. PRYOR. I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign 
Relations be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 455 and 
the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  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. 455) calling for peace in Darfur.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. PRYOR. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, 
the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the 
table with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements 
relating to this measure be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 455) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 455

       Whereas, during the past 4 years in Darfur, hundreds of 
     thousands of innocent victims have been murdered, tortured, 
     and raped, with more than 2,000,000 people driven from their 
     homes;
       Whereas some but not all of the parties to the conflict in 
     Darfur participated in the first round of a United Nations-
     African Union peace process launched in October 2007 in 
     Sirte, Libya;
       Whereas the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) reached 
     between the Government of Sudan and the Sudanese People's 
     Liberation Movement (SPLM) in January 2005 has not been fully 
     or evenly implemented;
       Whereas the Government of Sudan has continued to obstruct 
     the deployment of a joint United Nations-African Union 
     peacekeeping force to Darfur that would include non-African 
     elements;
       Whereas elements of armed rebel movements in Darfur, 
     including the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), have made 
     violent threats against the deploying peacekeeping force;
       Whereas 13 former world leaders and current activists, 
     including former president Jimmy Carter, former United 
     Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Bangladeshi 
     microfinance champion Muhammed Yunus, and Archbishop Desmond 
     Tutu, have called for the immediate deployment of the 
     peacekeeping force; and
       Whereas, while these and other issues remain pending, it is 
     the people of Darfur, including those living in refugee 
     camps, who suffer the continuing consequences: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) calls upon the Government of Sudan and other 
     signatories and non-signatories to the May 5, 2006, Darfur 
     Peace Agreement to declare and respect an immediate cessation 
     of hostilities, cease distributing arms to internally 
     displaced persons, and enable humanitarian organizations to 
     have full unfettered access to populations in need;
       (2) calls upon the Government of Sudan to facilitate the 
     immediate and unfettered deployment of the United Nations-
     African Union peacekeeping force, including any and all non-
     African peacekeepers;
       (3) urges all invited individuals and movements to attend 
     the next round of peace negotiations and not set 
     preconditions for such participation;
       (4) calls upon the diverse rebel movements to set aside 
     their differences and work together in order to better 
     represent the people of Darfur and end their continued 
     suffering;
       (5) encourages the participation in future talks of 
     traditional Arab and African leaders from Darfur, women's 
     groups, local nongovernmental organizations, and leaders from 
     internally displaced persons (IDP) camps;
       (6) condemns any intimidation or threats against camp or 
     civil society leaders to discourage them from attending the 
     peace talks, whether by the Government of Sudan or rebel 
     leaders;
       (7) condemns any action by any party, government or rebel, 
     that undermines or delays the peace process in Darfur; and
       (8) calls upon all parties to the Comprehensive Peace 
     Agreement (CPA) to support and respect all terms of the 
     agreement.

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