Larry Craig’s position on the genocide in Darfur.
Today I received an e-mail from a member of the Idaho for Darfur political action group. This individual took the time to contact Senator Craig to express her concerns, and received an e-mail in return. Craig’s position seems to be rather reasonable; there is nothing really to shout about contained in the letter. I do feel however, that it would be useful to post a copy of Craig’s response on this site. It’s important for those of us who reside in this state to be aware of the views of our representatives regarding important issues such as the tragic situation in Darfur.
The letter reads as follows:
Dear [removed for privacy]:
Thank you for contacting me regarding Darfur, Sudan. I appreciated hearing from you and apologize for the delay in my response.
Many in the international community have called for the United Nations (U.N.) to intervene to help restore peace and stop the brutal killings taking place in Darfur. As you may know, the International Crisis Group has compared this situation to the genocide that took place in Rwanda in 1994. Pressure on the Sudanese government has grown dramatically over the past few years, and while the situation remains critical, the region appears to be closer than ever to ending the horrific violence of its past.
Congress has taken action on behalf of Darfur in the past with the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act of 2006. This law imposes sanctions against individuals responsible for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity; supports measures for the protection of civilians and humanitarian operations; and supports peace efforts in the Darfur region of Sudan. It also set six benchmarks for the government of Sudan to reach before the restrictions are lifted, including: resolving the crisis in Darfur; disarming the Janjaweed militia; adhering to U.N. Security Council resolutions; resolving the crisis in eastern Sudan; denying safe haven to the Lord’s Resistance Army; and implementing the peace agreement between northern and southern Sudan.
I also cosigned a letter last year to Amr Moussa, Secretary General of the League of Arab States, asking him to urge President Omar Hassan El-Bashir to halt Sudan’s military offensive in Darfur, withdraw Sudanese troops from the area, and facilitate the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers to the region. The letter also asked the Secretary General to urge Arab League members to strongly encourage Khartoum to comply with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1706, which set out a plan to promote peace in Darfur.
In addition to congressional action, President Bush recently imposed sanctions on 30 businesses owned by the Sudanese government, one additional company, and three individuals; these sanctions prohibit business with the United States and U.S. citizens. These sanctions followed President Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s failure to effectively quell ongoing violence despite his previous pledge to allow additional U.N. peacekeepers. President Bush has also directed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to prepare a U.N. Security Council resolution for new international sanctions against the Sudanese government.
Despite setbacks by the Sudanese government, the U.S. continues to push for further cooperation between the Sudanese government and the international community. I believe continued U.S. efforts in the peacekeeping process will prove critical in achieving this goal. I will continue to support our country’s assistance for current operations in Sudan, which has totaled over $1 billion for the past two years, including an additional $518 million in the 2007 Iraq War Supplemental.
You specifically mentioned S.Res.203, which calls on China to exert its influence in the Sudan to help stop the violence occurring in Darfur. You will be pleased to know that this resolution passed the House by a unanimous vote; however, the Senate has not yet taken action on this resolution. I hope this resolution will move quickly through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee so the full Senate will get the chance to vote on it.
Again, thank you for contacting me. Please do not hesitate to let me know if I can be of further assistance.
Sincerely,
LARRY E. CRAIG
United States Senator
While this is not the most exciting blog post, I hope everyone living in Idaho will take the time to read this. We must continue to monitor the actions of our representatives in order to make sure that they are living up to their rhetoric. Senator Craig must be pressured to live up to the idealistic values he expresses in this letter. Failure to do so would be an injustice to those of us he represents, the country, and most importantly, to those refugees and victims of this seemingly endless, barbaric genocide.