[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 153 (Wednesday, October 21, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H11558-H11559]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   UNITED STATES POLICY TOWARD SUDAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, after 9 months of struggling to find 
its footing, the administration has finally unveiled its long-awaited 
policy toward Sudan. The policy looks remarkably familiar, and it has 
some merits. Unfortunately, those merits are overshadowed by the 
prospect of offering incentives and political legitimacy to one of the 
most manipulative and murderous regimes on the planet.
  The administration's desire to bring peace and development to Sudan 
is without doubt, but the desire to strike a conciliatory tone without 
first requiring that the Butcher from Khartoum unclench his fist and 
meet certain conditions has placed the U.S. in a position of weakness 
against a regime that has proven time and time again that it only 
responds to concrete pressure.
  This man, General Bashir, is a war criminal; and he is responsible 
for the deaths of over 2 million people. This regime, rooted in radical 
ideology, is responsible for the ongoing genocide which has claimed 
300,000 lives and has displaced 3 million more. This cabal will never 
be a part of a real solution to the crisis in Darfur, and it must not 
be treated by the U.S. as a legitimate partner for peace.

[[Page H11559]]

  There is no shortage of urgent priorities in Sudan, Madam Speaker. In 
formulating a comprehensive strategy, we must focus on improving 
humanitarian access and supporting the deployment of a fully equipped 
peacekeeping mission with robust rules of engagement to ensure civilian 
protection in Darfur;
  also, finding a lasting political solution to the crisis in Darfur so 
that the people languishing in camps can go home;
  thirdly, ensuring that the Comprehensive Peace Agreement is fully 
implemented while fostering genuine reconciliation among southerners;
  fourthly, resolving outstanding issues relating to contested areas, 
including a demarcation on the north-south border;
  also, seeing free, fair and transparent elections in April of 2010, a 
referendum in 2011 and the results of each being respected.
  We need to balance our efforts in Darfur with those in southern Sudan 
so that we do not sacrifice one region for the other. The conflicts in 
Darfur and in southern Sudan are linked, and they need to be treated 
that way.
  Critically, the United States needs a comprehensive Sudan policy with 
the wisdom, the foresight and the teeth necessary to advance our own 
national security interests while facilitating viable peace efforts in 
Sudan. I don't doubt the administration has tried to accomplish this, 
but it is difficult to imagine a policy which presumes that the tiger 
will change its stripes simply because we asked. This is foolish at 
best and dangerous at worst.
  The President's special envoy was all too quick to embrace as a 
policy victory the reintroduction of the three nongovernmental 
organizations that have been expelled from Sudan, but let's keep in 
mind the situation was created by the callous actions of Khartoum in 
the first place and that the campaign of intimidation and obstruction 
against NGOs continues unabated.
  In rolling out this policy, Secretary Clinton stated, ``Assessment of 
progress and decisions regarding incentives and disincentives will be 
based on verifiable changes in conditions on the ground.''
  Ambassador Susan Rice then warned that there would be ``significant 
consequences'' for those who failed to live up to their promises and 
that there would be ``no rewards'' for the status quo.

                              {time}  1445

  It will be incumbent upon Congress to hold the administration to 
these pledges. In the interim, the U.S. must maintain strong sanctions 
on the Sudanese regime. U.S. leaders must refuse to be duped by empty 
gestures and window dressing designed to make us forget about the 
horror which has taken place in Darfur and beyond.

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