    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [May 29, 2007]
    [Pages 630-631]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the Situation in Darfur, Sudan
    May 29, 2007

        Good morning. For too long, the people of Darfur have suffered at
    the hands of a government that is complicit in the bombing, murder, and
    rape of innocent civilians. My administration has called these actions
    by their rightful name: genocide. The world has a responsibility to help
    put an end to it.
        Last month, I announced that the United States was prepared to take
    new steps if the Government of Sudan did not allow the full deployment
    of a U.N. peacekeeping force; if the Government did not begin living up
    to its many commitments, that the United States would act. I made clear
    that the time for promises was over, and that President Bashir had to do something to end the
    suffering.
        I held off implementing these steps because the United Nations
    believed that President Bashir
    could meet his obligations to stop the killing and would meet his
    obligations to stop the killing. Unfortunately, he hasn't met those
    obligations. President Bashir's actions over the past few weeks follow a
    long pattern of promising cooperation while finding new methods for
    obstruction.
        One day after I spoke, the military bombed a meeting of rebel
    commanders designed to discuss a possible peace deal with the
    Government. In the following weeks, he used his army and Government-sponsored militias to attack
    rebels and civilians in south Darfur. He's taken no steps to disarm
    these militias in the year since the Darfur Peace Agreement was signed.
    Senior officials continue to oppose the deployment of the U.N.
    peacekeeping force.
        The result is that the dire security situation on the ground in
    Darfur has not changed. And so today, at my instruction, the United
    States has taken the steps I announced in April.
        First, the Department of Treasury is tightening U.S. economic
    sanctions on Sudan. With this new effort, the United States will more
    aggressively enforce existing sanctions against Sudan's Government.
        As part of this effort, the Treasury Department will add 30
    companies owned or controlled by the Government of Sudan to its list of
    Specially Designated Nationals. We're also adding an additional company
    to the list, a company that has been transporting weapons to the
    Sudanese Government and militia forces in Darfur. All these companies
    are now barred from the U.S. financial system. It is a crime for
    American companies and individuals to knowingly do business with them.
        Second, we're targeting sanctions against individuals responsible
    for violence. These sanctions will isolate these persons by cutting them
    off from the U.S. financial system, barring them from doing business
    with any American citizen or company, and calling the world's attention
    to their crimes.
        Third, I'm directing the Secretary of State to consult with the United Kingdom and other
    allies on a new United Nations Security Council resolution. This
    resolution will apply new sanctions against the Government of Sudan,
    against individuals found to be violating human rights or obstructing

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    the peace process. It will impose an expanded embargo on arms sales to
    the Government of Sudan. It will prohibit the Sudanese Government from
    conducting any offensive military flights over Darfur. It will
    strengthen our ability to monitor and report any violations.
        At the same time, we will continue to push for U.N. support,
    including funding for the African Union peacekeepers, who remain the
    only force in Darfur that is protecting the people. We will continue to
    work for the deployment of a larger, hybrid force of AU and U.N.
    peacekeeping troops. We will continue to support the diplomacy of U.N.
    Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. We will continue
    to insist on the full implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement. We
    will continue to promote a broadly supported and inclusive political
    settlement that is the only long-term solution to the crisis in Darfur.
        America's commitment is clear. Since this conflict began, we have
    provided more than $1.7 billion in humanitarian and peacekeeping
    assistance for Darfur. We are the world's largest single donor to the
    people of Darfur. We're working for the day when the families of this
    troubled region are allowed to return safely to their homes and rebuild
    their lives in peace.
        The people of Darfur are crying out for help, and they deserve it. I
    urge the United Nations Security Council, the African Union, and all
    members of the international community to reject any efforts to obstruct
    implementation of the agreements that would bring peace to Darfur and
    Sudan.
        I call on President Bashir
    to stop his obstruction and to allow the peacekeepers in and to end the
    campaign of violence that continues to target innocent men, women, and
    children. And I promise this to the people of Darfur: The United States
    will not avert our eyes from a crisis that challenges the conscience of
    the world.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 8:01 a.m. in the Diplomatic Reception Room
    at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to President Umar Hassan
    Ahmad al-Bashir of Sudan.