[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 2] [Senate] [Pages 2482-2483] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SUDAN PEACE AGREEMENT Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to consideration of S. Res. 388, submitted earlier today. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk will report the resolution by title. The legislative clerk read as follows: A resolution (S. Res. 388) urging the Government of the National Unity of Sudan and the Government of Southern Sudan to implement fully the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that was signed on January 9, 2005. There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the resolution. Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I applaud my Senate colleagues for supporting this resolution urging all parties in Sudan to implement fully the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended Sudan's decades-long civil war. For more than 50 years, Sudan has been plagued by war and violence. In fact, since gaining independence in 1956, the people of Sudan have known only 10 years of peace. But, last January, following painstaking negotiations and numerous unsuccessful attempts at peace, the Government of Sudan in the north and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in the south signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, bringing an end to Sudan's second civil war that lasted more than 20 years. This second civil war led to the deaths of more than 2 million people, and an additional 4 million were internally displaced or became refugees. I have visited Sudan on a number of occasions, and I have met with the victims and survivors of this tragedy. The CPA offers the Sudanese people a chance at a peaceful and secure life. It is time for the agreement to be fully implemented. In the past year, the government of Sudan and the SPLM have taken concrete steps to implement certain parts of the CPA. For example, the two sides have ratified a new national constitution and have formed a government of National Unity in Khartoum and a Government of Southern Sudan based in Juba in the south. However, the overall pace of implementation has been slow and insufficient, and both parties have failed to meet certain benchmarks or adopt the recommendations of the commissions established to monitor the CPA's implementation. These include the formation of Joint Integrated Units, which aim to integrate forces from both the north and the south, a more equitable distribution of resources between the north and the south, and a full and transparent accounting of Sudan's oil revenues. The implementation of the CPA is particularly urgent for the people of Southern Sudan. In this region alone, the World Food Program estimates that more than 2.9 million people were severely and adversely affected by the civil war. Last month, I met with Mrs. Rebecca Garang. She currently serves as the Minister for Roads and Transport for the Government of Southern Sudan. She is also the wife of the late John Garang, the long-time leader of the SPLM who successfully negotiated the CPA but died tragically in a helicopter crash last summer. During our talks, Mrs. Garang stressed the humanitarian and reconstruction needs of the Southern Sudanese people. They are in desperate need of assistance to build and improve vital infrastructure components such as an education system, a health care system, and a transportation system that are virtually non-existent in Southern Sudan. At the end of the current six-year interim period, the CPA provides for the people of Southern Sudan to decide their own political future in a referendum. But in order to achieve John Garang's vision of a new, united Sudan, the people of Southern Sudan must see the tangible benefits of peace. Implementing the CPA can also have a positive impact on ending the genocide in Sudan's western region of Darfur. Unfortunately, since the signing of the agreement, little progress has been made in ending this genocide. Hundreds of thousands have already died as a result of violence, disease, and malnutrition. And, millions more have been internally displaced or continue to languish in refugee camps in neighboring Chad. However, the CPA can serve as a basis for a peacefully negotiated end to the genocide in Darfur. For this reason, it is even more vital for the full and complete implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Until that time, the United States should continue to apply pressure on the Government of National Unity in Khartoum to fully implement the CPA. This includes maintaining the sanctions that are currently in place. In addition, we need to continue to expand our humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to the people of Southern Sudan. Delivering to them the real benefits of peace will strengthen their support of the CPA and for a united Sudan. During my travels to Sudan, I have heard first-hand accounts of the violence, suffering, and insecurity endured by so many in Sudan. Much of the Sudanese population has never known or experienced any sustained period of peace, stability, or security. This needs to change. Those in leadership in Sudan need to proceed with full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. And, I urge the United States and the international community to take concrete, assertive steps to demonstrate their continued solidarity with the Sudanese people to help them achieve their goal of a peaceful and stable Sudan. I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The resolution (S. Res. 388) was agreed to. The preamble was agreed to. The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows: S. Res. 388 Whereas the people of Sudan have been devastated by war for all but 10 years since Sudan gained its independence in 1956; Whereas the second civil war in Sudan between the Government of Sudan in the north and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in the south lasted for more than 20 years; Whereas more than 2,000,000 people died and more than 4,000,000 people were internally displaced or became refugees as a direct or indirect result of the civil war in Sudan; Whereas, on January 9, 2005, the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which ended Sudan's 21-year civil war; Whereas the Comprehensive Peace Agreement provides for a new constitution, new arrangements for power sharing and wealth sharing, and a 6-year interim period to be followed by a referendum in Southern Sudan so that the people of Southern Sudan can decide their political future; Whereas the parties have implemented parts of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, such as the ratification of the new [[Page 2483]] constitution and the formation of the Government of National Unity and the Government of Southern Sudan; Whereas the overall pace of implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement has been slow and insufficient; Whereas the recommendations of many of the commissions established by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement have yet to be implemented; Whereas 1 of the keys to a lasting and durable peace in Sudan is the full and timely implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement by all sides, wholly consistent with the letter, spirit, and intent of the agreement; Whereas, despite the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and an end to the civil war, there has been little progress made in ending the genocide in Sudan's western region of Darfur; Whereas hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians have died in Darfur as a result of violence, disease, and malnutrition, and millions more have been internally displaced or sought refuge in refugee camps in neighboring Chad; Whereas millions of the people across Sudan continue to suffer from the effects of war, including displacement and war-related disease, hunger, and malnutrition; Whereas the United States and the international community must not neglect the humanitarian and reconstruction needs of the people of Southern Sudan; Whereas, according to the World Food Program, more than 2,900,000 people in Southern Sudan have been severely affected by the civil war; Whereas the people of Southern Sudan are in desperate need of reconstruction assistance to build and improve vital infrastructure components, such as an education system, a health care system, and a transportation system, that are nearly nonexistent in Southern Sudan; Whereas the current humanitarian crisis in Southern Sudan is considered 1 of the worst in decades; and Whereas the reconstruction process in Southern Sudan is vital to delivering the benefits of peace to the people of Southern Sudan and stability to the region: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate-- (1) strongly urges the new Government of National Unity of Sudan to implement fully the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in a timely manner consistent with the letter, spirit, and intent of the agreement; (2) calls on the Government of National Unity to meet the terms of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to achieve an equitable distribution of wealth and resources between the North and the South and to provide a full and transparent accounting of Sudan's oil revenues; (3) urges the United States Government-- (A) to maintain appropriate pressure on the Government of National Unity to implement fully the Comprehensive Peace Agreement; (B) to maintain sanctions and pressure on the Government of National Unity until the Comprehensive Peace Agreement has been fully implemented and the crisis in Darfur has been resolved; and (C) to address, as appropriate, any legal barriers which prevent humanitarian and reconstruction operations in Southern Sudan; (4) supports the continued provision of humanitarian and reconstruction assistance from the United States to the people of Southern Sudan, in addition to the assistance allocated for the people of Darfur, so that the people of Sudan may experience and appreciate the benefits of peace; (5) strongly urges the Government of National Unity to use the Comprehensive Peace Agreement as the basis for negotiation of a peaceful resolution of the conflicts in Darfur and other areas of Sudan; and (6) strongly urges all countries in the region and the international community to support actively the full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. ____________________