HM 931

1	House Memorial
2	A memorial to the Congress of the United States, urging
3	Congress, with the support of the President, to engage the
4	international community to take action in the effort to
5	bring a just and lasting peace to the people of Darfur.
6
7	WHEREAS, United Nations officials have described the
8	ongoing crisis in Darfur as "the world's worst humanitarian
9	crisis," and
10	WHEREAS, hundreds of thousands of people have died and more
11	than 2.5 million have been displaced in Darfur since 2003, and
12	WHEREAS, the Government of Sudan has failed in its
13	responsibility to protect the many peoples of Darfur, and
14	WHEREAS, the United States Congress declared on July 22,
15	2004, that the atrocities in Darfur constituted genocide, and
16	WHEREAS, on September 9, 2004, Secretary of State Colin
17	Powell and President George W. Bush described the crisis in
18	Darfur as genocide, and
19	WHEREAS, on June 30, 2005, President Bush confirmed that
20	"the violence in the Darfur region is clearly genocide and the
21	human cost is beyond calculation," and
22	WHEREAS, on May 8, 2006, President Bush stated, "we will
23	call genocide by its rightful name, and we will stand up for the
24	innocent until the peace of Darfur is secured," and
25	WHEREAS, on May 5, 2006, the Government of Sudan and the
26	largest rebel faction in Darfur, the Sudan Liberation Movement,
27	led by Minni Minnawi, signed the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA),
28	and
29	WHEREAS, violence in Darfur escalated in the months
30	following the signing of the DPA, with increased attacks against
31	civilians and humanitarian workers, and
32	WHEREAS, violence has spread to the neighboring states of
33	Chad and the Central African Republic, threatening regional
34	peace and security, and
35	WHEREAS, in July 2006, more humanitarian aid workers were
36	killed than in the previous 3 years combined, and
37	WHEREAS, violence has forced some humanitarian
38	organizations to suspend operations, leaving 40 percent of the
39	population of Darfur inaccessible to aid workers, and
40	WHEREAS, on August 30, 2006, the United Nations Security
41	Council passed Security Council Resolution 1706 (2006),
42	asserting that the existing United Nations Mission in Sudan
43	(UNMIS) "shall take over from the African Union Mission in Sudan
44	(AMIS) responsibility for supporting the implementation of the
45	Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) upon the expiration of AMIS's
46	mandate but in any event no later than 31 December 2006," and
47	that UNMIS "shall be strengthened by up to 17,300 military
48	personnel...up to 3,300 civilian police personnel and up to 16
49	Formed Police Units," which "shall begin to be deployed no later
50	than 1 October 2006," and
51	WHEREAS, on September 19, 2006, President Bush announced
52	the appointment of Andrew Nastios as Presidential Special Envoy
53	to lead United States efforts to bring peace to the Darfur
54	region in Sudan, and
55	WHEREAS, on November 16, 2006, high-level consultations led
56	by Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, and
57	Alpha Oumar Konare, Chairperson of the African Union Commission,
58	and including representatives of the Arab League, the European
59	Union, the Government of Sudan, and other national governments,
60	produced the "Addis Ababa Agreement," and
61	WHEREAS, the Agreement stated that the DPA must be made
62	more inclusive, and "called upon all parties - Government and
63	DPA nonsignatories - to immediately commit to a cessation of
64	hostilities in Darfur in order to give the peace process the
65	best chances for success," and
66	WHEREAS, the Agreement included a plan to establish a
67	United Nations-African Union peacekeeping operation that would
68	consist of no fewer than 17,000 military troops and 3,000
69	civilian police, and would have a primarily African character,
70	and
71	WHEREAS, the Agreement stated that the peacekeeping
72	operation must be logistically and financially sustainable, with
73	support coming from the United Nations, and
74	WHEREAS, it is imperative that a peacekeeping force in
75	Darfur have sufficient strength and the mandate to provide
76	adequate security to the people of Darfur, and
77	WHEREAS, on January 10, 2007, New Mexico Governor Bill
78	Richardson met with Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir;
79	their meeting resulted in the issuance of a Joint Statement
80	calling for "a 60-day cessation of hostilities by all parties
81	within the framework of the Darfur Peace Agreement," and
82	WHEREAS, the Joint Statement called for the initiation of
83	African Union/United Nations diplomatic efforts within the
84	framework of the DPA, and for two projected meetings - a
85	Government of Sudan-sponsored field commanders' conference to be
86	attended by representatives of the African Union and the United
87	Nations, and a subsequent African Union/United Nations-sponsored
88	peace summit, again within the framework of the DPA, to be held
89	no later than March 15, 2007, and
90	WHEREAS, the Joint Statement stated the need to disarm all
91	armed groups, including the Janjaweed, pursuant to the provision
92	of the DPA, NOW, THEREFORE,
93
94	Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
95
96	That the Florida Legislature:
97	(1)  Supports, given the rapidly deteriorating situation on
98	the ground in Darfur, the principles of the Addis Ababa
99	Agreement of November 17, 2006, in order to increase security
100	and stability for the people of Darfur.
101	(2)  Declares that the deployment of an African Union-
102	United Nations peacekeeping force under the command and control
103	of the United Nations, as laid out in the Addis Ababa Agreement,
104	is the minimum acceptable effort on the part of the
105	international community to protect the people of Darfur.
106	(3)  Supports the strengthening of the African Union
107	peacekeeping mission in Sudan so that it may improve its
108	performance with regard to civilian protection as the African
109	Union peacekeeping mission begins to transfer responsibility for
110	protecting the people of Darfur to the United Nations-African
111	Union peacekeeping force under the command and control of the
112	United Nations, as laid out in the Addis Ababa Agreement.
113	(4)  Calls upon the Government of Sudan to immediately:
114	(a)  Allow the implementation of the United Nations light
115	and heavy support packages as provided for in the Addis Ababa
116	Agreement; and
117	(b)  Work with the United Nations and the international
118	community to deploy United Nations peacekeepers to Darfur in
119	keeping with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1706
120	passed on August 31, 2006.
121	(5)  Calls upon all parties to the conflict to immediately:
122	(a)  Adhere to the Joint Statement issued by Governor Bill
123	Richardson and President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir on January 10,
124	2007;
125	(b)  Observe the cease-fire contained therein; and
126	(c)  Respect the impartiality and neutrality of
127	humanitarian agencies so that relief workers can have unfettered
128	access to their beneficiary populations and deliver desperately
129	needed assistance.
130	(6)  Urges the President to:
131	(a)  Continue work with other members of the international
132	community, including the permanent members of the United Nations
133	Security Council, the African Union, the European Union, the
134	Arab League, Sudan's trading partners, and the Government of
135	Sudan to facilitate the implementation of the Addis Ababa
136	Agreement and the subsequent Richardson-Bashir Joint Statement;
137	(b)  Ensure the ability of any peacekeeping force deployed
138	to Darfur to carry out its mandate by providing adequate funding
139	and by working with our international partners to provide
140	technical assistance, logistical support and intelligence-
141	gathering capabilities, and military assets;
142	(c)  Vigorously pursue, in cooperation with other members
143	of the international community, strong punitive action against
144	those persons responsible for crimes against humanity as
145	previously authorized in the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act
146	of 2006 (Public Law 109-344), United Nations Security Council
147	Resolution 1591 (2005), and the Comprehensive Peace in Sudan Act
148	of 2004 (Public Law 108-497, 118 Stat. 4012); and
149	(d)  Make all necessary efforts to address the widespread
150	incidents of gender-based violence in Darfur, including working
151	with the Government of Sudan to help institute a zero-tolerance
152	policy for gender-based violence as agreed to in the Richardson-
153	Bashir Joint Statement.
154	(7)  Calls upon the Speaker of the United States House of
155	Representatives, the Majority Leader of the United States
156	Senate, and the Florida delegation to the United States Congress
157	to:
158	(a)  Provide all necessary funding and support for United
159	Nations and African Union peacekeeping operations in Darfur;
160	(b)  Provide all necessary funding and support for
161	humanitarian aid in Darfur and affected areas of Chad and the
162	Central African Republic;
163	(c)  Conduct sufficient oversight of actions by the United
164	States administration to ensure that no opportunities for
165	furthering the peace are missed; and
166	(d)  Continue to monitor the conflict and political
167	processes and, if necessary, examine imposing additional
168	punitive sanctions against the Government of Sudan, officials
169	within the Government of Sudan, rebel leaders, and any other
170	individual or group obstructing the ongoing peace process or in
171	violation of agreed-upon cease-fires and the Darfur Peace
172	Agreement.
173	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Florida Legislature urges
174	Congress to do all in its power to further the goals expressed
175	in this memorial in order to bring lasting peace to the people
176	of Darfur.
177	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
178	dispatched to the President of the United States, to the
179	President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the
180	United States House of Representatives, and to each member of
181	the Florida delegation to the United States Congress.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.