The Comprehensive Peace Agreement In Sudan

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

I thank my friend for yielding and for leading this Special Order. I was pleased to, with him, undertake this Special Order because of the timeliness of the crisis that confronts Sudan and the implementation of the agreement. I want to thank all of the Members for participating in this Special Order as well. It is important that we in the Congress stay focused and send a message, as I will here, that we are focused. And I applaud the gentleman for his statement tonight. I applaud him even further for his continuing leadership. Nobody in the Congress, in either the House or the Senate, has been more focused over a longer period of time, has traveled more extensively throughout the world, and to some of the most troubled spots in the world, and to Sudan, than the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) and I thank him for his leadership.

In fewer than 4 months, Southern Sudan will hold a

referendum on independence, which was guaranteed by the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

The CPA ended Africa's bloodiest civil war, a war which took almost 2 million lives and displaced 4 million. Yet the risk of descending into war again seems all too real.

Now, as on my congressional delegation to Sudan 3 years ago, our focus remains the same: Promoting peace, stability, and reconstruction across the whole of Sudan. This is not only our moral obligation but an important national security goal as well. We must work to ensure that Sudan does not become a safe haven for terrorists. Tonight we are here to send a message to all those who live in and care about Sudan. We support full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. We support a timely, peaceful, free, and fair referendum on independence. And we support an end to the violence in Darfur.

These are immense challenges, to be sure. But Sudan's central government has shown that it pays close attention to the international community's intentions and actions, which is why we must present a unified, comprehensive position in our response to both the ongoing violence in Darfur and the north-south conflict.

I want to be absolutely clear: Darfur remains and will remain a point of focus for this Congress. We recognize that peacekeepers are struggling and in many cases failing to fulfill their civilian protection mandate, and that humanitarian groups are swimming in redtape and facing daunting security challenges.

President Obama and the international community must continue to push Khartoum on the issue of humanitarian access and independent human rights monitoring in the region.

In the wake of what appears to be a near collapse of the latest efforts in Doha, we must continue to strive for a viable peace process. Congress is watching. Congress will hold you accountable. Tonight, however, I want to focus my remarks on the need for full CPA implementation and specifically on ensuring that the referendum on southern independence takes place on time and, as I said, in a free, fair and peaceful manner and that results are respected by Khartoum and the international community.

With the referendum approaching on January 9, 2011, our own Secretary of State has said that we can hear the loud sound of a ticking time bomb--Secretary Clinton's words--the possibility of new bloodshed.

What can we do to prevent it?

The U.S. has stepped up its diplomatic efforts in southern Sudan, and is providing $12 million for elections security, allowing the government of southern Sudan to establish 11 joint operation centers in Juba and in the 10 states in collaboration with other partners.

I also want to applaud President Obama for attending Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's high-level meeting on Sudan this Friday at the United Nations in order to discuss what more the international community can do to ensure a fair and safe vote. My hope is that a powerful package of multilateral pressures and incentives will come out of this meeting and those that follow.

I also support the administration's efforts to prepare for January with former South African President Mbeki, who is leading the African Union's efforts in Sudan as well as with international financial institutions and international development agencies; but more can and must be done. We must hurry to establish a formal mechanism to help get the north and south to agreement on all of the outstanding issues. Such a mechanism must include buy-in from civil society in an organized way. The CPA is a positive model on this front.

The international community, including our own administration, must continue to remind those countries with a stake in the outcome, including Russia, Egypt and especially China, that it is in their own best interests to advance peace and stability in Sudan. This is an international responsibility. We must support U.N. peacekeepers and urge them to do more to protect civilians. We cannot simply throw our hands up in complaint about a relatively ineffective peacekeeping system. We must fix it.

Finally, efforts in south Sudan must not be solely focused on the day of the referendum but also, of course, on the day after.

The international community must step up efforts to prevent southern Sudan from becoming what the economists called a ``pre-failed state.'' We know the dangers that failed states pose to our own national security. We have seen that. If we want to prevent the emergence of a new one, the international efforts on everything from road building to literacy education to establishing a viable economy in one of the world's most underdeveloped areas deserves and should have our support.

Regardless of the steps we and the international community take, the decision to turn this vote into a foundation for peace instead of one for further war ultimately rests in the hands of the Sudanese. So my message to Khartoum is this:

Step up. Step up, Khartoum. At the risk of sounding cynical, surprise us. This referendum is part of a peace agreement that you signed in 2005. Come to the table. Work to advance a peaceful outcome, and don't lead your country back into war. The administration has clearly communicated to you that there are both painful pressures and real incentives on the table. It is your choice, of course, and rest assured that the United States Congress is watching your choice and will hold you accountable.

To the government of south Sudan:

The U.S. Congress is committed to the referendum, and firmly believes that it is the best mechanism for you to express your right of self-determination. Alternative approaches will only renew the turmoil that the CPA was designed to end--and will severely weaken the future of your people.

We need you to step up as well. We need you to come to the table as a ready and willing partner, and we need you to devote resources, time and energy to finalizing an operational plan and budget, agreeing on voter registration criteria and procedures, and hiring and training registration workers. There is hard work in front of you, but the reward in the form of your people's right to choose their own future is clearly precious.

To the Obama administration and the international community:

Thank you. Thank you for your efforts to strengthen peace in Sudan but to keep them going. We will all have to work vigorously to ensure that the referendum is a

success, but the consequences of failure should be more than ample motivation for us all.

Friday's high-level meeting at the United Nations must be a productive and serious one, and more conversations must follow. They must be focused on how the international community will work together to assist in the technical, logistical and operational stages of the vote; to monitor and observe the process from start to finish; to guarantee implementation of the results; and to mediate in case of any disagreement. You have the Congress' full support in this effort.

To the humanitarian community, especially to the American-based NGOs working on the ground in Sudan:

You represent the best of American selflessness and generosity. You do God's work. Thank you for that.

This Congress pledges to continue advocating for improved humanitarian access so that you can continue to do your jobs and advance the goals for which you have put your safety and, yes, even your lives on the line. Improving the daily lives of people living in one of the world's most war-torn regions is a moral responsibility for us all.

Finally, to the people of Sudan:

We stand with you. You deserve far more than the bloodshed and death and dislocation that year after year have brought you. You deserve what we all deserve--a chance to live our lives and raise our children in peace. America will do everything in its power to ensure that January is the beginning of that chance, not its untimely end.

Again, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey--one of the senior Members of this Congress, the leader of our effort on the African continent--a continent so critically important to the future of the global community. I thank him for yielding me this time.

I yield back.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source