[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 107 (Monday, July 18, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4644-S4645]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
WELCOMING THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH SUDAN
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the consideration of S. Con. Res. 25.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the concurrent
resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 25) welcoming the
independence of the Republic of South Sudan, congratulating
the people of South Sudan for freely and peacefully
expressing their will through an internationally accepted
referendum, and calling on the Governments and people of
Sudan and South Sudan to peacefully resolve outstanding
issues including the final status of Abyei.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
concurrent resolution.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent
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 any statements relating to this matter be printed in the
Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 25) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The concurrent resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Con. Res. 25
Whereas the United States was a witness to the 2005
Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which marked the end of
more than 2 decades of civil war between North and South
Sudan that resulted in the deaths of more than 2,000,000
people;
Whereas the CPA provided the framework for the historic
referendum held between January 9, 2011, and January 15,
2011, in
[[Page S4645]]
which the people of South Sudan voted overwhelmingly in favor
of independence;
Whereas the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), as
established by United Nations Security Council Resolution
1590 on March 24, 2005, was instrumental in supporting the
implementation of the CPA;
Whereas the mandate for the United Nations Mission in Sudan
(UNMIS) expired on July 9, 2011, with the completion of the
CPA Interim Period;
Whereas the mandate for the United Nations Mission in South
Sudan (UNMISS), as established by United Nations Security
Council Resolution 1996 (2011), commenced on July 9, 2011;
Whereas, on February 7, 2011, the Southern Sudan Referendum
Commission announced that the people of South Sudan voted in
favor of succession by a margin of 98.8 percent, and
President Bashir, on behalf of the Government of Sudan,
accepted the results of the referendum;
Whereas the African Union, the Arab League, the United
Nations Secretary-General's Panel on the Referenda in Sudan,
Sudanese Network for Democratic Elections (SuNDE), Sudanese
Group for Democracy and Elections (SuGDE), and the Carter
Center were among those to report that voting in the
referendum was credible and transparent, allowing the people
of South Sudan to freely express their desire for
independence;
Whereas several outstanding issues and potential points of
conflict remain unresolved between the Government of Sudan
and the Government of South Sudan, including the final status
of the contested area of Abyei, disputed border areas,
popular consultations, citizenship rights and nationality,
division of oil resources and profits, currency,
international debt and assets, and other matters;
Whereas the CPA parties signed an agreement on June 20,
2011, on temporary administrative and security arrangements
for Abyei, including the establishment of a United Nations
Interim Security Force for Abyei and the redeployment of all
military forces of the Government of Sudan from the area;
Whereas fighting in Southern Kordofan over the past month
has resulted in deaths and injuries to civilians, the
displacement of thousands of residents, and restricted access
for humanitarian workers despite the framework agreement for
Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan states signed by the
Government of Sudan and Sudan People's Liberation Movement-
North on June 28, 2011;
Whereas the needs for security, development, and democracy-
building are great throughout Sudan and South Sudan, and the
United States and the international community have invested
significant resources in order to provide assistance to the
people of both countries;
Whereas more than 2,000,000 refugees and internally
displaced persons from Sudan and South Sudan continue to be
displaced from their homes;
Whereas lasting peace and stability for all of Sudan cannot
be realized until a comprehensive peace in Darfur is secured
and an appropriate mechanism for accountability and justice
is established for those responsible for atrocities and
crimes against humanity;
Whereas the United States has a compelling national
interest in the security, stability, and development of Sudan
and South Sudan in order to prevent conflict, humanitarian
crises, and the establishment of safe havens for terrorists;
Whereas Sudan was the first country to formally recognize
the Republic of South Sudan on July 9, 2011; and
Whereas the United States Government formally recognized
the Republic of South Sudan as a sovereign and independent
state on July 9, 2011: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives
concurring), That the Senate--
(1) welcomes the independence of the Republic of South
Sudan and recognizes South Sudan as the newest member of the
international community;
(2) congratulates the people of South Sudan for freely and
peacefully expressing their desire for independence through
an internationally accepted referendum, and notes the
Government of Sudan's recognition of the results of the
referendum and South Sudan's independence;
(3) commends the people and leaders of South Sudan on their
efforts to reach this historic milestone as well as the
members of the international community that assisted them,
including the United States, the European Union and its
member states, Norway, the United Nations, the African Union
and the AU High-Level Implementation Panel, the Arab League,
the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, neighboring
countries, and others;
(4) calls on the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan to
continue high level engagement to resolve outstanding matters
relating to the final status of Abyei, disputed border areas,
the completion of popular consultations, citizenship and
nationality, division of oil resources and profits, currency,
international debt and assets, and other matters in order to
ensure a smooth transition to two states and to mitigate
points of conflict;
(5) calls on all sides to fully implement their June 20,
2011, agreement on temporary arrangements for the contested
Abyei area and swiftly establish a cessation of hostilities
in Southern Kordofan to facilitate the delivery and resupply
of humanitarian assistance;
(6) welcomes the deployment of up to 4,200 Ethiopian
peacekeepers to Abyei and the new United Nations Mission in
South Sudan (UNMISS) to provide security and stability in
Sudan;
(7) calls on the Government of Sudan to allow for continued
United Nations peacekeeping operations in Southern Kordofan
and Blue Nile states to support new security arrangements and
the delivery of humanitarian assistance;
(8) calls on the United States Government and international
community, in coordination with the Governments of Sudan and
South Sudan, to support peace, rule of law, security, and
good governance in Sudan and South Sudan in order to--
(A) promote security and stability in both countries,
especially in critical areas such as Darfur, Blue Nile, and
Southern Kordofan and in Abyei;
(B) promote the human and civil rights of all--including
southerners living in Sudan and northerners living in South
Sudan--through laws and regulations fully respected by both
governments;
(C) encourage the Government of South Sudan to engage
opposition parties to foster open political space and vibrant
democratic institutions;
(D) encourage the Government of Sudan to facilitate the
development of multiple political parties with freedom of
speech and association;
(E) provide technical assistance and expertise to the
Government of South Sudan;
(F) promote access to humanitarian and development aid for
the people of Sudan and South Sudan, with a focus on the
critical areas of education, health care, and infrastructure,
and paying particular attention to historically marginalized
areas, including Darfur, Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile
states, and Eastern Sudan;
(G) encourage the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan to
prevent terrorist groups from using their territories and to
continue to cooperate with the United States on
counterterrorism priorities; and
(H) encourage the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan to
continue to work together in a productive relationship that
recognizes the mutual need for cooperation and an open flow
of people and goods across borders and to refrain from the
use of proxy forces to foment conflict;
(9) urges that the Darfur peace process remain a priority
in United States relations with the Government of Sudan and
receives appropriate attention and resources, including--
(A) continued high level engagement to secure a just and
lasting peace in Darfur;
(B) a commitment to ensuring humanitarian access to
vulnerable populations; and
(C) sustained support for the African Union-United Nations
Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and its mandate to protect
civilians and move freely without seeking permission from the
armed forces of the Government of Sudan; and
(10) welcomes the anticipated nomination of a United States
ambassador to the Republic of South Sudan.
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