[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 44 (Thursday, March 12, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E664-E665]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




ON INTRODUCING A RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT 
FOR ISSUING AN ARREST WARRANT FOR SUDANESE PRESIDENT OMAR HASSAN AHMAD 
                               AL-BASHIR

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 12, 2009

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce a 
resolution commending the International Criminal Court for issuing an 
arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, for 
war crimes and crimes against humanity. This resolution reaffirms our 
nation's commitment to supporting a multifaceted approach to bringing 
about peace and stability in the Darfur region. After over six years of 
conflict in Darfur, six years of government-led genocide against its 
own people, six years of murder, rape, torture, and oppression, I 
applaud the international community for taking a major step forward in 
the name of justice, humanity, and the rule of law.
  Madam Speaker, no leader who commits such horrific crimes should be 
allowed to remain free. President al-Bashir has directed the Sudanese 
government's efforts to use the very worst kinds of crimes to carry out 
an active program of oppression. While the roots of this conflict run 
deep, combining a complex mix of racial, tribal, religious, political, 
geographic, and environmental matters, surely there can be no excuse to 
engage in the kind of violence that President al-Bashir has inflicted 
on the people of Darfur. It is well past time to bring him to justice.
  I laud the International Criminal Court for issuing a warrant for 
President al-Bashir's arrest. This was a long time coming. The ICC owes 
a great deal to the grassroots efforts of a wide range of non-
governmental organizations (NGOs), human rights groups, individual

[[Page E665]]

experts, and other activists for keeping up the pressure on the 
international community to act.
  This warrant has not yet resulted in an arrest, nor even in a 
cessation of hostilities. In fact, President al-Bashir responded to the 
warrant by expelling over a dozen international aid agencies from the 
region, further threatening the lives of well over 1 million people who 
depend on these organizations for food, water, shelter, health care, 
and personal safety. Such is the measure of the Sudanese government and 
its leadership. But this warrant is a major step forward. When the 
international community begins to hold leaders responsible for their 
unconscionable crimes, we begin to prevent such abuses from occurring 
in the future.
  Madam Speaker, I am under no illusion that this arrest warrant--even 
if it results in President al-Bashir's arrest and removal from power--
will end the conflict in Darfur. This warrant is yet another step on 
the long road to ending this conflict and achieving some measure of 
stability in the war-torn region. But it will require a comprehensive 
approach combining positive political, economic, social, and even 
military efforts. The United States, for one, needs to build on the 
ICC's momentum by immediately committing to an intense diplomatic 
effort. I welcome Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's affirmative 
remarks on the ICC's warrant, and I further encourage President Obama 
to appoint a full-time, high-level envoy to the region. We can and we 
must build on the ICC's efforts to bring to justice those responsible 
for the atrocities in Darfur.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

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