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“SUPPORTING IMPLEMENTATION OF PEACE AGREEMENT IN SUDAN” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H7052-H7055 on Sept. 28, 2010.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SUPPORTING IMPLEMENTATION OF PEACE AGREEMENT IN SUDAN
Mr. TANNER. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1588) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives on the importance of the full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to help ensure peace and stability in Sudan during and after mandated referenda, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 1588
Whereas Sudan stands at a crossroads, in the final phase of what could be a historic transition from civil war to peace, and Sudan's full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in this next year will determine the future of this centrally important country in Africa and the stability of the region;
Whereas January 2010 marked the fifth anniversary of the signing of the CPA which ended more than 20 years of civil war between northern and southern Sudan, fueled by northern persecution of populations in the south, that resulted in the deaths of more than 2,000,000 people and the displacement of over 4,000,000 people in southern Sudan;
Whereas the CPA committed the northern-dominated National Congress Party (NCP) and the southern-dominated Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), to assume joint governing responsibility during a six-year Interim Period ending in July 2011;
Whereas Sudan's April 2010 elections did not meet international standards due to widespread and continuing violations of political rights, irregularities in voter registration, significant logistical and procedural shortcomings, intimidation and violence in some localities, and the continuing conflict in Darfur which prevented full campaigning and voter participation;
Whereas the conflict in Darfur remains unresolved, with over 300,000 people killed and over 2,000,000 people still displaced in a highly unstable security situation perpetrated largely by the government in Khartoum;
Whereas since 1999, the United States Department of State has designated Sudan as a ``country of particular concern'' for its systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom or belief and related human rights, as recommended by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, and despite progress made via the CPA on religious freedom issues, there are still reports of abuses;
Whereas at the end of the CPA in January 2011, the agreement requires referenda on self-determination for southern Sudan and on whether Abyei will remain in the north or join the south;
Whereas following the Interim Period, popular consultations in Southern Kordofan State and Blue Nile State are to be held to determine the governance arrangements in those two states;
Whereas it is essential that the referenda and accompanying popular consultations are held on time, that they are free, fair, and credible, and that if the outcome of the southern Sudan referendum is independence, two stable and viable democratic states result;
Whereas the Government of Southern Sudan faces post-conflict reconstruction challenges including establishing democratic, responsive, and transparent governance, addressing human resources and capacity-building needs, strengthening and reforming the judiciary and security forces to address communal and inter-ethnic violence, professionalizing the police and security forces, developing basic infrastructure, natural resources and the economy; providing basic services including water, education, health care and social services, and establishing cooperative and transparent wealth-sharing mechanisms;
Whereas in August 2009, the NCP and SPLM signed a bilateral agreement to address and implement many of the CPA's outstanding provisions, but since that time the NCP has consistently delayed and reneged on its CPA commitments, thereby increasing tension and distrust between northern and southern Sudan and endangering the CPA by infringing on the freedom of speech, assembly, and association of candidates, political party activists, and journalists during and after the election process, including censoring the media and arresting political party leaders;
Whereas the NCP continues to restrict and disrupt United Nations peacekeeping, humanitarian operations, and human rights organizations in Darfur;
Whereas the United States played a central role in negotiations that led to the CPA, is a guarantor of that peace agreement, and continues to play a leading role bilaterally and multilaterally to bring about a just and lasting peace in Sudan;
Whereas Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton stated in October 2009 that ``the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the North and South will be a flashpoint for renewed conflict if not fully implemented through viable national elections, a referendum on self-determination for the South, resolution of the border disputes, and the willingness of the respective parties to live up to their agreements''; and
Whereas sustained pressure and engagement from the international community in support of the CPA, including the upcoming referenda, is essential to bring about sustainable peace in Sudan: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Government should--
(1) work with appropriate Sudanese parties and responsible regional and international partners to--
(A) build consensus on the steps needed to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), including the upcoming referenda, and promote stability throughout Sudan;
(B) correct serious and systemic problems in the election process to ensure that they do not reoccur during the referenda campaign and voting processes, including irregularities in voter registration, logistical and procedural challenges, poor voter education, human rights infringements, intimidation, and violence; and
(C) ensure that the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) implement procedures whereby the referenda occur as scheduled, including appointing competent and credible members to all referenda commissions and providing technical assistance to and funding for the commissions;
(2) work with the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) to ensure security during and after the referenda campaign and voting processes, which will require a robust monitoring and protection presence in areas prone to conflict;
(3) take concrete steps through the contribution of targeted resources and technical expertise to--
(A) ensure international monitoring and observation of registration and polling to guarantee a secure environment for individual registration and voting, and to prevent voter intimidation or fraud occurring during these critical phases of the referenda;
(B) ensure that the Government of National Unity (GNU), as required by the CPA, provides adequate funding at predetermined levels and timelines for the registration and polling periods, given the need to ensure that those who register are able to access polling stations on voting day;
(C) ensure that responsible nations commit adequate resources and technical expertise to support the referenda and voter education programs in southern Sudan, Abyei, and other areas where people will vote in the referenda to promote understanding of the nature, importance of participation, consequences of the referenda process; and
(D) support the popular consultation processes in Southern Kordofan State and Blue Nile State, including through provision of technical assistance and support for public education;
(4) work with appropriate Sudanese parties and responsible regional and international partners to ensure--
(A) the right of return of Sudanese refugees and displaced persons, including Darfuris and southerners, by providing assistance and safe passage to all such persons; and
(B) that the citizenship rights of southerners in the north and northerners in the south are respected in accordance with international standards should the south vote for independence;
(5) work with responsible regional and international partners to ensure a stable north-south border and a permanent peace in Sudan, utilizing policy options if parties fail to honor the CPA, especially as it relates to border demarcation pre-referenda;
(6) continue to utilize diplomats and experts and sustain engagement to support the African Union and United Nations-led negotiations over the post-referendum issues, including working with responsible regional and international partners to assist in making necessary arrangements for a post-2011 peaceful transition, with specific focus on oil and revenue sharing, citizenship, return of refugees and displaced persons, security arrangements along the border, and protection of the rights of minorities, particularly the religious and ethnic minorities historically marginalized;
(7) utilize diplomats and experts to revitalize the Darfur Peace Process and press the NCP, northern political parties, armed groups, and civil society representatives to address human rights abuses (including gender-based violence) and the ongoing atrocities and displacement in Darfur;
(8) undertake renewed efforts to define and implement the Administration's stated Sudan policy of October 2009, including by publicly articulating the benchmarks and related incentives and pressures used by the Administration to gauge progress or backsliding on key provisions of the CPA, including the holding of a free and fair referendum in southern Sudan;
(9) hold the NCP accountable for its actions given the NCP's human rights violations and efforts to impede CPA implementation since the announcement of the United States Sudan policy, and the need for the United States to both balance incentives with pressures, by--
(A) identifying NCP government agencies and officials responsible for particularly severe human rights and religious freedom violations as required under section 402b(2) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998
(IRFA), and prohibit those individuals identified under section 402b(2) of IRFA from entry into the United States;
(B) encouraging multilateral asset freezes on NCP government agencies and travel bans on officials responsible for particularly severe human rights and religious freedom violations;
(C) continuing to encourage greater multilateral enforcement of the arms embargo set out in the 2004 United Nations Security Council Resolution 1556 and strengthened in the 2005 United Nations Security Council Resolution 1591;
(D) continuing to encourage multilateral support for efforts to hold accountable Omar al-Bashir and other Sudanese officials accused of genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity, recognizing that justice is essential for there to be lasting peace; and
(E) vigorously advocating on behalf of any credible humanitarian organizations that come under pressure from Khartoum or are at any point expelled from the country, thereby compromising their ability to provide vital services;
(10) support the Government of Southern Sudan, including through the provision of technical assistance and expertise, in developing its economy, rule of law, and social service and educational infrastructures, improving democratic accountability and human rights, and strengthening reconciliation efforts; and
(11) unequivocally stand, during this period of preparation and possible transition, with those people of Sudan who share aspirations for a peaceful, prosperous and democratic future.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Tanner) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.
General Leave
Mr. TANNER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Tennessee?
There was no objection.
Mr. TANNER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I want to thank Mr. Capuano and Members of the House Sudan Caucus for introducing this resolution to remind us of the important work that needs to be done to implement the final stages of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the National Congress Party and the Southern Sudanese Liberation Movement in Sudan.
The CPA requires referenda in January 2011 to determine whether South Sudan will become an independent country and whether Abyei (AH-BEE-AY) region will be a part of the North or South.
The Obama Administration has worked tirelessly to help the Sudanese people prepare for the referenda and the hard policy choices that must come after.
This resolution puts the Congress on record encouraging the President to continue a robust engagement in the CPA process and make sure the National Congress Party and the Sudanese Peoples' Liberation Movement fulfill the obligations of the agreement.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of H. Res. 1588, of which I am the original cosponsor.
Madam Speaker, we are all too familiar with the famous quote by the American philosopher George Santayana, who said, ``Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'' The truth of this saying is tragically realized in the case of war and genocide.
General Romeo Dallaire, the commander of the former United Nations mission in Rwanda, tried unsuccessfully in 1994 to warn the United Nations that huge massacres were imminent in that country. Even he miscalculated the magnitude of the threat. Within a few months, Rwanda was engulfed in genocide, leading to the deaths of nearly 800,000 people.
Larry Eagleburger, a former ambassador to Yugoslavia who served as Deputy Secretary of State and then Secretary of State, never suspected that the hostilities in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina would escalate to the slaughter of more than 8,000 people that took place in Srebrenica in 1995.
Sadly, we have too many indications about what could happen if the two referenda scheduled to take place in Sudan in January do not take place fairly and peacefully. The 20-year war between the north and the south of Sudan that ended in 1995 took the lives of over 2 million people and displaced a further 4 million.
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Peace in Darfur is inextricably linked to peace throughout the rest of Sudan. And the genocide there in 2003 unleashed the slaughter of over 300,000 women, men, and children. Almost 3 million have been displaced and are still consigned to the misery of camps for internally displaced persons.
Like many of my colleagues, I have visited Sudan. I have been to Mukjar and Kalma camp, and I have actually had a face-to-face meeting with General Bashir, the dictator in Khartoum, pushing for peace, pushing for an end to this slaughter. Unfortunately, he was obsessed only with trying to convince me that the sanctions against his government needed to be lifted. The fact that the sanctions were based on the senseless killing and displacement sponsored by his government was dismissed by him as of no consequence.
This signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in 2005 marked a potential turning point for the Sudanese people. It calls for elections leading to a referendum in January of 2011 to determine whether the south will remain united to the north or secede as an independent state. The region of Abyei is also to hold a referendum to determine whether it will remain in the north or possibly secede with the south should the south choose that course. Specific conditions were to be met in anticipation of these major events, to ensure that they would be conducted credibly and peacefully.
Madam Speaker, these interim 5 years have yielded signs of hope that the country could settle into a stable, lasting peace. The United States has devoted substantial resources, nearly $9 billion in humanitarian, development, and peacekeeping assistance since 1994 to support the CPA's implementation. But numerous incidents have also exposed the extreme lack of trustworthiness of the Khartoum government and the urgent need for the government of southern Sudan to increase its capacity and accountability.
The Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, on which I serve as ranking member, and the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission have held several hearings over the last 14 months. The testimony we have heard at those hearings sounded a major alarm about the ominous storm clouds gathering over Sudan. In fact, the issues raised at the two hearings in July of 2009 and the proposed solutions to those issues were so compelling that I and several other Members forwarded the expert testimony to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Scott Gration, our Special Envoy, asking them to take this incredibly compelling information into account as the administration engaged in peace efforts in Sudan.
Unfortunately, the administration took little or know account of that advice. Furthermore, it seemed to ignore its own strategy that was publicized in October of last year. Key members of the National Security Council deputies committee, which was supposed to meet quarterly, met only once in January with no noticeable outcome. The administration claimed it was taking the advice of numerous experts to establish specific benchmarks to be met by the respective parties according to a set time frame. The achievement of those benchmarks, created to ensure the timely implementation of the CPA, would be tied to incentives and disincentives to motivate their achievement. There is no evidence that these benchmarks were ever created, much less enforced with discernible consequences.
Madam Speaker, the President and the State Department have taken some action during the past few weeks, apparently recognizing that the time remaining until the North-South referendum is extremely short. One most hope that the adage ``better late than never'' will apply in this case. The challenges to be addressed in the next few weeks, particularly the demarcation of the North-South border and the post-referendum agreement on wealth sharing and citizenship can be met if the United States plays a leadership role in gathering the influence and cooperation of the African Union and other international players. Herculean measures must also be undertaken to ensure that the January 9 referendum is conducted in a manner that ensures the credibility of the outcome as well as the peaceful acceptance of that outcome by the parties.
With H. Res. 1588, I join my colleagues in pressing upon the administration the urgent need to assist the Sudanese people in their long-sought-after quest for peace. The effort will be great, but the price of another even more catastrophic war would be even greater. No one, particularly the Sudanese people, can afford to pay that price.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. TANNER. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Capuano).
Mr. CAPUANO. Madam Speaker, I am here to support this resolution. Very clearly, this resolution is simply intended to encourage the Government of the United States and other governments around world to continue pressing to make sure that the resolution that is on the ballot January 9 of next year for the people of south Sudan to decide for themselves whether they want to make their own country or be part of the Government of Sudan. That is all we want. It is an agreement that was made in 2005 by warring parties.
I want to be clear. Before I got elected to Congress 12 years ago, I might have known where Sudan was, not sure. I would not have known where Darfur was. I would not have known that there was a problem in south Sudan. This is not a problem that I have been studying for a while. It is a problem that started to come to my attention after 9/11 when I realized, like many Americans, you trace back who is this bin Laden guy, where is he from. He spent years in Sudan training, recruiting, preparing for attacks like 9/11. That was just the beginning of it.
South Sudan decided that it wanted some freedom. They had a revolution of their own. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed. Millions were displaced. That same government in Khartoum also, soon thereafter, started a genocide on their own people in Darfur.
All we are asking, in a very difficult situation, with multi-facets that are beyond comprehension, to simply have the United States Government continue what they are doing. The President of the United States went to New York City last week to meet on Sudan at the U.N. The United States has a Special Envoy there. We are paying special attention.
And by the way, it is not just because I have a bleeding heart for people who have been massacred. It is not just that people should have their own right of self-determination. It is also because this particular country, this particular section of the country is in a critically important region in Africa.
I think most everybody in this country have now heard of the Pilots of Somalia. That is right next door. Eritrea, right next door, Ethiopia, right next door. All around them is instability, danger and potential violence that could draw in the entire region. That is what this peace agreement is all about. That is why I am here, for January 9 of next year, to encourage the world to pay attention to this for their own sake, if not for the sake of the people in Sudan and south Sudan.
Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of Res. 1588, which calls attention to the upcoming referenda in Sudan and the need to ensure full implementation of that country's Comprehensive Peace Agreement, CPA. I want to commend my fellow co-chairs of the Sudan Caucus, Mr. Capuano, Mr. Wolf, and Mr. McCaul, for their bipartisan leadership on this issue. Mr. Capuano, our Republican co-chairs, and I have worked hard to bring this resolution to the floor because time is short. I support this resolution and say we must sound the alarm for what is going on in Sudan. The people of Sudan deserve our support for timely, free and fair referenda on the independence of Southern Sudan and Abyei. The National Congress Party, headed by President Omar el Bashir, must not be allowed to derail the referenda.
The referenda are part of the peace dividend promised to the people of South Sudan and Abyei following the 21-year war civil war between North and South Sudan. During the war, which claimed the lives of 2 million Southerners and displaced 4 million, the Bashir regime used aerial bombings against innocent, defenseless children, women, men, elderly, and disabled. Indeed, the war nearly destroyed an entire region--South Sudan, but it could not destroy the spirit of its people.
On January 9, 2005 members of the U.S. Government, including myself, witnessed the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, CPA, which ended the war and outlined the path to secure lasting peace in Sudan. The signing of the agreement launched a 6-year Interim Period during which Khartoum would have the opportunity to show the people of the South that it was capable of change. At the end of the 6 year period--
on January 9, 2011--the CPA promised an opportunity for the people of the South to determine whether the regime in Khartoum had changed enough that they want to remain a part of Sudan or whether they want to secede. The people in the marginal area of Abyei--the region that holds in its soil Sudan's oil wealth--would decide if they would retain their special administrative status in the North or to become part of the South.
Today, with less than four months until the referenda, Sudan is dismally behind on implementing the CPA. Bashir's regime has refused to cooperate on key measures that must be put in place. Khartoum has repeatedly played games, stalled, held up, and obstructed so many critical steps in the fulfillment of the CPA that as of today, it is unclear whether the referenda in January can actually be held freely and fairly. Sudan also faces a number of challenges as it struggles to emerge as a democracy from decades of civil war. The conflict and violence in Darfur still rage even as the international community hopes for peace.
Indeed, Sudan could erupt into conflict once again if the referenda are not held freely and fairly. We support House Resolution 1588 to call on the Administration and the international community to fully employ all of our diplomatic tools, as well as significant international technical assistance, to ensure that the referenda are timely, free, peaceful, and fair to the people of Sudan. The consequences of failed referenda are too great.
The United States has served as a guarantor of the CPA, helping to negotiate the agreement and facilitate its implementation by both signatories--the National Congress Party, NCP, and Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army, SPLM/A. We have invested considerable time and resources in helping the people of Sudan, and we must ensure that this level of commitment is maintained through this critical time and beyond. Now is the time to refocus attention on Sudan.
H. Res. 1588 sends a clear message to Khartoum that a dismissal of the CPA will not be tolerated. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bipartisan resolution.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. TANNER. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Tanner) that the House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1588, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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