[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 17 (Monday, May 1, 2006)]
[Pages 818-819]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following a Meeting on Sudan

April 28, 2006

    I just had an extraordinary conversation with fellow citizens from 
different faiths, all of who have come to urge our Government to 
continue to focus on saving lives in Sudan. They agree with thousands of 
our citizens--hundreds of thousands of our citizens--that genocide in 
Sudan is unacceptable.
    And there will be rallies across our country to send a message to 
the Sudanese Government that the genocide must stop. Those rallies will 
also be an indication that thousands and hundreds of thousands of our 
citizens urge the world to unite with the United States in concerted 
action.
    We have got AU troops on the ground; those troops need to be 
augmented and increased through strong United Nations action. And the 
United States strongly supports a U.N. resolution to do that. I believe 
it's important for the United States to be involved, and the best way to 
be involved with the AU troops is through NATO. I've worked

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with the Secretary General of NATO and our allies in NATO to provide a 
firm response to the actions that are taking place on the ground. I want 
the Sudanese Government to understand the United States of America is 
serious about solving this problem.
    I'm proud of our Nation's generosity when it comes to aid, and the 
American people ought to be proud of the taxpayer dollars that have gone 
to provide much needed aid for those who suffer. But this Government 
must understand that we expect the aid to get to the people, and we 
expect there to be a solution to this problem.
    There will be rallies all across the country. And for those of you 
who are going out to march for justice, you represent the best of our 
country. We believe every life is precious, every human being is 
important. And the signal you send to the world is a strong signal, and 
I welcome your participation. And I want to thank the organizers for 
being here.
    I want to thank this good man right here--he sits here next to his 
President, and it wasn't all that long ago that he was a slave inside 
Sudan. He sits here to represent the thousands of lives who have been 
affected by a Government that must honor human rights.
    And, Simon, I'm proud to have you here as a fellow American, proud 
to have you here as a friend.
    Thank you all for coming.

Note: The President spoke at 1:50 p.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the 
White House. In his remarks, he referred to Secretary General Jakob 
Gijbert ``Jaap'' de Hoop Scheffer of the North Atlantic Treaty 
Organization; and Simon Deng, founder of the Sudan Freedom Walk.