How a REAL President would handle Darfur

[globalvillage]

I have seen several posts about Darfur and the rally today. Thankfully, a lot of attention has been brought to the Darfur crisis by leading Dems. It's amazing to me that legislation proposed (by Sen Biden)over a year ago to provide support to the region is still sitting in committee, but there it sits. Maybe this weekend's rally will be the push that's needed to act. Maybe I just shouldn't be surprised.

Apparently, bush* doesn't think taking action against genocide is deserving of our time and/or money. Below are some of Sen Kerry's statements and actions re this tragedy.

DATE= 9/9/04
HEADLINE: Kerry Says US Should Lead On Darfur
INTRO: Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said Thursday that the United States
should take the lead role in ensuring the immediate deployment of an international force
to protect civilians in Sudan's western Darfur region. Senator Kerry made the comments in
New Orleans as we hear from National correspondent Jim Malone.
TEXT: Mr. Kerry spoke about the situation in Darfur to the National Baptist Convention,
one of the nation's largest African-American church groups.
Senator Kerry said it was time to set a new direction for America's leadership in the
world. He said the United States and the United Nations Security Council now face a
crucial decision on whether to take action to stop the killing in Darfur.
"If I were president, I would act now. As I've said for months, I would not sit idly by.
We cannot simply accept another Rwanda. The United States should ensure the immediate
deployment of an effective international force to disarm militia, protect civilians and
facilitate delivery of humanitarian assistance in Darfur."
Senator Kerry said the United States should lead the United Nations in imposing sanctions
on Sudan if the Khartoum government continues to block deployment of an international
force.
Earlier in the day, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said government-backed Arab
militias in Darfur have committed genocide against the local black African population. He
called for international pressure on Sudan, but he said there was "no appetite" among
western powers to assemble an intervention force to impose peace in the region.
Senator Kerry also said the United States should immediately appoint an American
ambassador to the African Union much as it does for the European Union, adding that the
United States should not treat Africa as a second-class continent. (Signed)
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/200...

Statement by Senator Kerry on the Crisis in Darfur
6/7/2004 2:29:00 PM
To: National Desk
Contact: Allison Dobson of John Kerry for President, 202-464-2800
WASHINGTON, June 7 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Senator John Kerry released the following statement
today on the crisis in Darfur:
"The world did not act in Rwanda, to our eternal shame. Now we are at another crisis point
this time in Sudan. The Sudan's western Darfur region demands the world's immediate
attention and action. Rampages against defenseless civilians by government- sponsored
militia have caused the deaths of an estimated 30,000 people, and more than one million
have been made homeless. The Administrator of the US Agency for International Development
estimated last week that at least 300,000 more will die and up to one million could die if
the Sudanese government continues to terrorize civilians and impede humanitarian access.
The United Nations and human rights experts agree that the government of Sudan is
committing crimes against humanity and that the risk of genocide is real.
"I believe that the United States and the international community must act immediately to
apply effective pressure on the Government of Sudan to rein in its militia proxies and to
immediately provide unrestricted access for humanitarian aid and aid workers. We must also
act swiftly to initiate negotiations aimed at securing a political settlement to the
conflict. And because there is no guarantee that the Sudanese government will relent, we
must also start planning now for the possibility that the international community, acting
through the United Nations, will be forced to intervene urgently to save the lives of the
innocent.
"The United States, working with the governments of the region and our allies in the
United Kingdom and Norway has recently made significant progress towards a final peace
agreement between the Sudanese government and its southern opposition. While this is a
welcome development, the peace agreement will be fundamentally compromised if the world
stands by while the government threatens the lives and livelihoods of other citizens of
Sudan."
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=31601

September 30, 2004
The First Bush-Kerry Presidential Debate
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES' DEBATE, SPONSORED BY THE MICCOSUKEE TRIBE OF INDIANS OF FLORIDA,
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI, CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA
KERRY: Thirty-five to forty countries in the world had a greater capability of making
weapons at the moment the president invaded than Saddam Hussein. And while he's been
diverted, with 9 out of 10 active duty divisions of our Army, either going to Iraq, coming
back from Iraq, or getting ready to go, North Korea's gotten nuclear weapons and the world
is more dangerous. Iran is moving toward nuclear weapons and the world is more dangerous.
Darfur has a genocide.
<snip>
Kerry: Now, with respect to Darfur, yes, it is a genocide. And months ago, many of us
were pressing for action.
I think the reason that we're not saying send American troops in at this point is
severalfold.
Number one, we can do this through the African Union, providing we give them the
logistical support. Right now all the president is providing is humanitarian support. We
need to do more than that. They've got to have the logistical capacity to go in and stop
the killing. And that's going to require more than is on the table today.
I also believe that it is -- one of the reasons we can't do it is we're overextended.
Ask the people in the armed forces today. We've got Guards and Reserves who are doing
double duties. We've got a backdoor draft taking place in America today: people with
stop-loss programs where they're told you can't get out of the military; nine out of our
10 active duty divisions committed to Iraq one way or the other, either going, coming or
preparing.
So this is the way the president has overextended the United States.
That's why, in my plan, I add two active duty divisions to the United States Army, not for
Iraq, but for our general demands across the globe. I also intend to double the number of
special forces so that we can do the job we need to do with respect fighting the
terrorists around the world. And if we do that, then we have the ability to be able to
respond more rapidly.
But I'll tell you this, as president, if it took American forces to some degree to
coalesce the African Union, I'd be prepared to do it because we could never allow another
Rwanda.
It's the moral responsibility for us and the world.

07/26/2005

Senator John Kerry, Senator Edward Kennedy, Representative Michael Capuano Join the
Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur to Raise Awareness of the Genocide
BOSTON, MA - Today, Senator Kerry, Senator Kennedy, and Representative Capuano released a
statement to the Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur to support and commend their
tireless efforts to awaken the conscience of government and citizens throughout the
Commonwealth. Below is statement from Senator John Kerry, Senator Edward Kennedy, and
Representative Michael Capuano:
To the Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur
“We wish we could be here with you today in solidarity with the suffering people of
Darfur. House and Senate are both in session, however, and we must be in Washington.
To our great shame, the United States has not done all it should to save Darfur. It is now
more than a year since Congress recognized the slaughter there for what it is, genocide.
President Bush and then Secretary of State Powell have also specifically denounced the
atrocities in Darfur as genocide. Our words have had, thus far, virtually no effect.
Khartoum and its proxies, the Janjaweed, continue to kill and rape with impunity. They
have killed hundreds of thousands. They have driven another two million or more into
refugee camps. In these camps, survivors face “genocide by attrition” as the Janjaweed
harass aid workers and obstruct deliveries of food and medicine. Relief agencies estimate
that four or five hundred people are dying every week.
We trust that your rally will awaken the conscience of all who hear you and inspire them
to demand more of our government. It is not enough to condemn genocide. We are bound to
prevent and punish genocide, and we must act immediately. Thus far we have failed. We have
broken our promise of “Never again.”
You who have organized this rally represent all that is best in us as a people: a
determination to protect the life and liberty of all persons.”
Senator John Kerry Senator Edward Kennedy Representative Michael Capuano

http://kerry.senate.gov/v3/cfm/record.cfm?id=241665

Kerry outraged at Bush's 'toothless' response to Darfur
Published: 10/17/2004

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida, Oct 17 (AFP) - Democratic nominee John Kerry on Sunday
castigated President George W. Bush for a "toothless" response to the Darfur crisis, and
promised to stop the "genocide" if he was elected president.
In a sharp statement issued as he landed for a campaign stop in Florida, Kerry called for
tough United Nations sanctions against Sudan's government and more US humanitarian aid for
the crisis-torn region.
"Months ago, I urged the president to call the crisis in Darfur, Sudan, by its rightful
name: genocide," the statement said.
"The Bush administration finally did so in September, but shamefully it has done nothing
effective to halt this genocide. Words without deeds are meaningless especially when
people are dying every day."
more...

http://archive.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=30978

CO-SPONSORED LEGISLATION

S.CON.RES.17
Title: A concurrent resolution calling on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to assess

the potential effectiveness of and requirements for a NATO-enforced no-fly zone in the

Darfur region of Sudan.
Sponsor: Sen Biden, Joseph R., Jr. (introduced 3/10/2005) Cosponsors (12)
Latest Major Action: 3/10/2005 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Referred to the

Committee on Foreign Relations.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY AS OF:
3/10/2005--Introduced.

Condemns the continued civilian attacks in Darfur, Sudan, and calls on the Government of

Sudan to withdraw all military aircraft from the region and disarm the janjaweed militias.

Commends the Africa Union Mission in Sudan for its actions in monitoring the

implementation of the N'Djamena cease-fire agreement in Darfur.

Urges the President to direct the U.S. Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic

Treaty Organization (NATO) to propose that NATO assess the effectiveness of a

NATO-enforced no-fly zone across Darfur.


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S.CON.RES.124
Title: A concurrent resolution declaring genocide in Darfur, Sudan.
Sponsor: Sen Brownback, Sam (introduced 7/13/2004) Cosponsors (31)
Latest Major Action: 7/13/2004 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Referred to the

Committee on Foreign Relations.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY AS OF:
7/13/2004--Introduced.

States that Congress: (1) declares that the atrocities unfolding in Darfur, Sudan, are

genocide; (2) reminds the President and the international community of their international

legal obligations, as affirmed in the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and

Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; (3) commends the President's leadership in seeking a

peaceful resolution to the conflict in Darfur and in addressing the humanitarian crisis

caused by that conflict, including the provision of assistance in Darfur and Eastern Chad;

(4) urges the President to seek a United Nations Security Council resolution that directs

the member states of the United Nations to impose sanctions against those responsible for

the atrocities committed in Darfur, authorizes a multinational force to guarantee

humanitarian access and security for foreign aid workers and internally displaced persons,

urges a halt to violence committed by militias and by the armed forces of Sudan, creates a

Commission of Inquiry, and calls for the establishment of a formal peace process between

Darfurians and the Government of Sudan; (5) calls on the Administrator of the United

States Agency for International Development to establish a Darfur Resettlement,

Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Fund; and (6) urges the President to provide political

and financial support to the African Union to promote its effective intervention in

Darfur.




35. S.RES.186 : A resolution affirming the importance of a national weekend of prayer for

the victims of genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur, Sudan, and expressing the

sense of the Senate that July 15 through July 17, 2005, should be designated as a national

weekend of prayer and reflection for the people of Darfur.
Sponsor: Sen Brownback, Sam (introduced 7/1/2005) Cosponsors (6)
Latest Major Action: 7/1/2005 Passed/agreed to in Senate. Status: Submitted in the Senate,

considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent.