Bush names Special Envoy for Darfur. UPDATED. BUSH SPEECH.

President Bush taps former USAID chief Andrew Natsios as special envoy for Darfur.

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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

(New York, New York)

_________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release September 19, 2006

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

TO THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

United Nations

New York, New York

12:15 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Secretary General, Madam President, distinguished delegates, and ladies and gentlemen: I want to thank you for the privilege of speaking to this General Assembly.

Last week, America and the world marked the fifth anniversary of the attacks that filled another September morning with death and suffering. On that terrible day, extremists killed nearly 3,000 innocent people, including citizens of dozens of nations represented right here in this chamber. Since then, the enemies of humanity have continued their campaign of murder. Al Qaeda and those inspired by its extremist ideology have attacked more than two dozen nations. And recently a different group of extremists deliberately provoked a terrible conflict in Lebanon. At the start of the 21st century, it is clear that the world is engaged in a great ideological struggle, between extremists who use terror as a weapon to create fear, and moderate people who work for peace.

Five years ago, I stood at this podium and called on the community of nations to defend civilization and build a more hopeful future. This is still the great challenge of our time; it is the calling of our generation. This morning, I want to speak about the more hopeful world that is within our reach, a world beyond terror, where ordinary men and women are free to determine their own destiny, where the voices of moderation are empowered, and where the extremists are marginalized by the peaceful majority. This world can be ours if we seek it and if we work together.

The principles of this world beyond terror can be found in the very first sentence of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document declares that the “equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom and justice and peace in the world.” One of the authors of this document was a Lebanese diplomat named Charles Malik, who would go on to become President of this Assembly. Mr. Malik insisted that these principles apply equally to all people, of all regions, of all religions, including the men and women of the Arab world that was his home.

In the nearly six decades since that document was approved, we have seen the forces of freedom and moderation transform entire continents. Sixty years after a terrible war, Europe is now whole, free, and at peace — and Asia has seen freedom progress and hundreds of millions of people lifted out of desperate poverty. The words of the Universal Declaration are as true today as they were when they were written. As liberty flourishes, nations grow in tolerance and hope and peace. And we’re seeing that bright future begin to take root in the broader Middle East.

Some of the changes in the Middle East have been dramatic, and we see the results in this chamber. Five years ago, Afghanistan was ruled by the brutal Taliban regime, and its seat in this body was contested. Now this seat is held by the freely elected government of Afghanistan, which is represented today by President Karzai. Five years ago, Iraq’s seat in this body was held by a dictator who killed his citizens, invaded his neighbors, and showed his contempt for the world by defying more than a dozen U.N. Security Council resolutions. Now Iraq’s seat is held by a democratic government that embodies the aspirations of the Iraq people, who’s represented today by President Talabani. With these changes, more than 50 million people have been given a voice in this chamber for the first time in decades.

Some of the changes in the Middle East are happening gradually, but they are real. Algeria has held its first competitive presidential election, and the military remained neutral. The United Arab Emirates recently announced that half of the seats in its Federal National Council will be chosen by elections. Kuwait held elections in which women were allowed to vote and run for office for the first time. Citizens have voted in municipal elections in Saudi Arabia, in parliamentary elections in Jordan and Bahrain, and in multiparty presidential elections in Yemen and Egypt. These are important steps, and the governments should continue to move forward with other reforms that show they trust their people. Every nation that travels the road to freedom moves at a different pace, and the democracies they build will reflect their own culture and traditions. But the destination is the same: A free society where people live at peace with each other and at peace with the world.

Some have argued that the democratic changes we’re seeing in the Middle East are destabilizing the region. This argument rests on a false assumption, that the Middle East was stable to begin with. The reality is that the stability we thought we saw in the Middle East was a mirage. For decades, millions of men and women in the region have been trapped in oppression and hopelessness. And these conditions left a generation disillusioned, and made this region a breeding ground for extremism.

Imagine what it’s like to be a young person living in a country that is not moving toward reform. You’re 21 years old, and while your peers in other parts of the world are casting their ballots for the first time, you are powerless to change the course of your government. While your peers in other parts of the world have received educations that prepare them for the opportunities of a global economy, you have been fed propaganda and conspiracy theories that blame others for your country’s shortcomings. And everywhere you turn, you hear extremists who tell you that you can escape your misery and regain your dignity through violence and terror and martyrdom. For many across the broader Middle East, this is the dismal choice presented every day.

Every civilized nation, including those in the Muslim world, must support those in the region who are offering a more hopeful alternative. We know that when people have a voice in their future, they are less likely to blow themselves up in suicide attacks. We know that when leaders are accountable to their people, they are more likely to seek national greatness in the achievements of their citizens, rather than in terror and conquest. So we must stand with democratic leaders and moderate reformers across the broader Middle East. We must give them voice to the hopes of decent men and women who want for their children the same things we want for ours. We must seek stability through a free and just Middle East where the extremists are marginalized by millions of citizens in control of their own destinies.

Today, I’d like to speak directly to the people across the broader Middle East: My country desires peace. Extremists in your midst spread propaganda claiming that the West is engaged in a war against Islam. This propaganda is false, and its purpose is to confuse you and justify acts of terror. We respect Islam, but we will protect our people from those who pervert Islam to sow death and destruction. Our goal is to help you build a more tolerant and hopeful society that honors people of all faiths and promote the peace.

To the people of Iraq: Nearly 12 million of you braved the car bombers and assassins last December to vote in free elections. The world saw you hold up purple ink-stained fingers, and your courage filled us with admiration. You’ve stood firm in the face of horrendous acts of terror and sectarian violence — and we will not abandon you in your struggle to build a free nation. America and our coalition partners will continue to stand with the democratic government you elected. We will continue to help you secure the international assistance and investment you need to create jobs and opportunity, working with the United Nations and through the International Compact with Iraq endorsed here in New York yesterday. We will continue to train those of you who stepped forward to fight the enemies of freedom. We will not yield the future of your country to terrorists and extremists. In return, your leaders must rise to the challenges your country is facing, and make difficult choices to bring security and prosperity. Working together, we will help your democracy succeed, so it can become a beacon of hope for millions in the Muslim world.

To the people of Afghanistan: Together, we overthrew the Taliban regime that brought misery into your lives and harbored terrorists who brought death to the citizens of many nations. Since then, we have watched you choose your leaders in free elections and build a democratic government. You can be proud of these achievements. We respect your courage, and your determination to live in peace and freedom. We will continue to stand with you to defend your democratic gains. Today forces from more than 40 countries, including members of the NATO Alliance, are bravely serving side-by-side with you against the extremists who want to bring down the free government you’ve established. We’ll help you defeat these enemies and build a free Afghanistan that will never again oppress you, or be a safe haven for terrorists.

To the people of Lebanon: Last year, you inspired the world when you came out into the streets to demand your independence from Syrian dominance. You drove Syrian forces from your country and you reestablished democracy. Since then, you have been tested by the fighting that began with Hezbollah’s unprovoked attacks on Israel. Many of you have seen your homes and communities caught in crossfire. We see your suffering, and the world is helping you to rebuild your country, and helping you deal with the armed extremists who are undermining your democracy by acting as a state within a state. The United Nations has passed a good resolution that has authorized an international force, led by France and Italy, to help you restore Lebanese sovereignty over Lebanese soil. For many years, Lebanon was a model of democracy and pluralism and openness in the region — and it will be again.

To the people of Iran: The United States respects you; we your country. We admire your rich history, your vibrant culture, and your many contributions to civilization. You deserve an opportunity to determine your own future, an economy that rewards your intelligence and your talents, and a society that allows you to fulfill your tremendous potential. The greatest obstacle to this future is that your rulers have chosen to deny you liberty and to use your nation’s resources to fund terrorism, and fuel extremism, and pursue nuclear weapons. The United Nations has passed a clear resolution requiring that the regime in Tehran meet its international obligations. Iran must abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions. Despite what the regime tells you, we have no objection to Iran’s pursuit of a truly peaceful nuclear power program. We’re working toward a diplomatic solution to this crisis. And as we do, we look to the day when you can live in freedom — and America and Iran can be good friends and close partners in the cause of peace.

To the people of Syria: Your land is home to a great people with a proud tradition of learning and commerce. Today your rulers have allowed your country to become a crossroad for terrorism. In your midst, Hamas and Hezbollah are working to destabilize the region, and your government is turning your country into a tool of Iran. This is increasing your country’s isolation from the world. Your government must choose a better way forward by ending its support for terror, and living in peace with your neighbors, and opening the way to a better life for you and your families.

To the people of Darfur: You have suffered unspeakable violence, and my nation has called these atrocities what they are — genocide. For the last two years, America joined with the international community to provide emergency food aid and support for an African Union peacekeeping force. Yet your suffering continues. The world must step forward to provide additional humanitarian aid — and we must strengthen the African Union force that has done good work, but is not strong enough to protect you. The Security Council has approved a resolution that would transform the African Union force into a blue-helmeted force that is larger and more robust. To increase its strength and effectiveness, NATO nations should provide logistics and other support. The regime in Khartoum is stopping the deployment of this force. If the Sudanese government does not approve this peacekeeping force quickly, the United Nations must act. Your lives and the credibility of the United Nations is at stake. So today I’m announcing that I’m naming a Presidential Special Envoy — former USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios — to lead America’s efforts to resolve the outstanding disputes and help bring peace to your land.

The world must also stand up for peace in the Holy Land. I’m committed to two democratic states — Israel and Palestine

— living side-by-side in peace and security. I’m committed to a Palestinian state that has territorial integrity and will live peacefully with the Jewish state of Israel. This is the vision set forth in the road map — and helping the parties reach this goal is one of the great objectives of my presidency. The Palestinian people have suffered from decades of corruption and violence and the daily humiliation of occupation. Israeli citizens have endured brutal acts of terrorism and constant fear of attack since the birth of their nation. Many brave men and women have made the commitment to peace. Yet extremists in the region are stirring up hatred and trying to prevent these moderate voices from prevailing.

This struggle is unfolding in the Palestinian territories. Earlier this year, the Palestinian people voted in a free election. The leaders of Hamas campaigned on a platform of ending corruption and improving the lives of the Palestinian people, and they prevailed. The world is waiting to see whether the Hamas government will follow through on its promises, or pursue an extremist agenda. And the world has sent a clear message to the leaders of Hamas: Serve the interests of the Palestinian people. Abandon terror, recognize Israel’s right to exist, honor agreements, and work for peace.

President Abbas is committed to peace, and to his people’s aspirations for a state of their own. Prime Minister Olmert is committed to peace, and has said he intends to meet with President Abbas to make real progress on the outstanding issues between them. I believe peace can be achieved, and that a democratic Palestinian state is possible. I hear from leaders in the region who want to help. I’ve directed Secretary of State Rice to lead a diplomatic effort to engage moderate leaders across the region, to help the Palestinians reform their security services, and support Israeli and Palestinian leaders in their efforts to come together to resolve their differences. Prime Minister Blair has indicated that his country will work with partners in Europe to help strengthen the governing institutions of the Palestinian administration. We welcome his initiative. Countries like Saudi Arabia and Jordan and Egypt have made clear they’re willing to contribute the diplomatic and financial assistance necessary to help these efforts succeed. I’m optimistic that by supporting the forces of democracy and moderation, we can help Israelis and Palestinians build a more hopeful future and achieve the peace in a Holy Land we all want.

Freedom, by its nature, cannot be imposed — it must be chosen. From Beirut to Baghdad, people are making the choice for freedom. And the nations gathered in this chamber must make a choice, as well: Will we support the moderates and reformers who are working for change across the Middle East — or will we yield the future to the terrorists and extremists? America has made its choice: We will stand with the moderates and reformers.

Recently a courageous group of Arab and Muslim intellectuals wrote me a letter. In it, they said this: “The shore of reform is the only one on which any lights appear, even though the journey demands courage and patience and perseverance.” The United Nations was created to make that journey possible. Together we must support the dreams of good and decent people who are working to transform a troubled region — and by doing so, we will advance the high ideals on which this institution was founded.

Thank you for your time. God bless.

END 12:35 P.M. EDT

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from Pelosi office………..

Pelosi Statement on Appointment of Special Envoy for Darfur

Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement this morning on President Bush’s appointment of Andrew Natsios as special envoy for Darfur. Below is also the text of a letter that Pelosi and a bipartisan coalition of Members sent to President Bush last week urging him to appoint a special envoy and to use his speech today at the United Nations to call special attention to Darfur.

“I am pleased that President Bush has heeded the call of many of us in Congress and finally appointed a special envoy to Darfur.

“The appointment of Andrew Natsios as his special envoy comes at a critical moment: the humanitarian situation is deteriorating and the Darfur Peace Agreement is on the brink of complete collapse. The President must now empower the special envoy with a full mandate and access to the highest levels of the Administration to bring about a just and lasting peace. Implementation of the United Nations resolutions on Darfur will require skillful diplomacy and the active engagement of the international community, especially the Chinese government. A U.S. special envoy is long past due, but it is not too late.”

* * *

September 15, 2006

The President

The White House

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

As we have done several times over the last few years, we write to you with profound concern over the increasingly dire humanitarian crisis and worsening genocide in Darfur. The United States simply cannot stand by while the government of Sudan continues its campaign of terror and atrocities against innocent civilians. We urge you to use your speech at the United Nations on Tuesday to call special attention to Darfur and the need for the international community to take immediate, decisive action to end the genocide.

The situation in Darfur has dramatically deteriorated over the last several weeks. In direct violation of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) and numerous UN Security Council resolutions, Khartoum has begun to deploy some 26,000 troops to the Darfur region. This has coincided with a sharp increase in attacks on civilians and humanitarian aid workers, renewed aerial bombardment, and the all but complete deterioration of the fragile DPA.

The member states of the United Nations have simply not done enough to stop the brutal violence that has occurred in Darfur in the past three years. We urge you to call publicly for full implementation of all UN resolutions on Darfur, and for all member states, particularly Russia and China with considerable influence in Khartoum, to do more.

As the international community debates whether or not an international force, in addition to that already deployed by the African Union in Darfur and by the UN in other parts of Sudan, can be deployed without the consent of the Sudanese government, we hope you will cite as examples the intervention of international forces in the 1990’s in Africa and Europe. We do not believe the approval of those who have allowed genocide to occur in Darfur is necessary before other nations intercede to bring it to an end.

We would also ask that you use your influence to urge the African Union to renew its mandate until a UN force can take over. The United States should take a leadership role in ensuring that the AU force is properly supplied and equipped. The prospect of leaving a void is a clear recipe for disaster.

Finally, we ask that you immediately appoint a special envoy on Sudan. Now, more than ever, a person with a robust mandate and direct access to you is needed to demonstrate the priority the United States attaches to ending the genocide quickly.

We would like to request a meeting in the coming days to further discuss possible US responses to this emergency. The people of Darfur have suffered for far too long. After each genocide of the last century, Rwanda being the most recent, we vowed “never again.” Yet we have become witness to another genocide. Now is the time to act.

Sincerely,

Nancy Pelosi Donald Payne

House Democratic Leader Member of Congress

Tom Lantos James Clyburn

Ranking Member Chairman

International Relations Committee House Democratic Caucus

Charles Rangel George Miller

Ranking Member Ranking Member

Ways and Means Committee Education and Workforce

Carolyn Kilpatrick Barbara Lee

Member of Congress Member of Congress

Mel Watt Frank Wolf

Chairman Member of Congress

Congressional Black Caucus

Maxine Waters Michael Capuano

Member of Congress Member of Congress

Jan Schakowsky Tom Tancredo

Member of Congress Member of Congress

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Darfur in the News

Washington Post: Bush to Name Envoy for Darfur. President Bush has decided to name Andrew Natsios, a former administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, as his special envoy for Darfur in the hope of reviving a diplomatic effort to end a 3 1/2 -year spree of violence in Sudan that has left hundreds of thousands dead, according to senior administration officials. Bush is expected to announce Natsios’s appointment Tuesday in a speech to world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly. The initiative follows increasing pressure from Congress and human rights advocates to do more to halt what the Bush administration has termed the world’s only ongoing case of genocide. The U.N. special representative to Sudan, Jan Pronk of the Netherlands, declared Monday that the U.S.-brokered peace agreement “is nearly dead. It is in a coma. It ought to be under intensive care, but it isn’t.” He said fighting has flared up again, with the Sudanese government again launching a major military offensive and a growing number of rebel factions vying for power. By selecting Natsios, the administration has chosen a blunt representative with considerable backing among the American aid community and a long record of butting heads with the Sudanese over the delivery of humanitarian assistance. When Powell traveled to Darfur in July 2004, he was accompanied by Natsios, then USAID administrator. As the plane flew over the blackened remains of ravaged villages, Natsios described his dismay at the Sudanese government in a stream of expletives. Still, some U.N. officials privately expressed concern that Natsios may pursue a confrontational approach that will harden Khartoum’s opposition to a U.N. force in Darfur.

Reuters: Demonstrations Around the World Draw Attention to Darfur Crisis. Peace advocates around the world held demonstrations on Sunday to highlight the war in Darfur, the western Sudan region where tens of thousands of people have been killed and more than two million left homeless. In New York, a Central Park crowd estimated by organizers at 30,000 and by the police at 20,000 demanded that the United States government press the Sudanese to stop the killings and displacements in Darfur and to allow United Nations peacekeepers to enter the country, which Sudan has refused to do. The world must act and it must do so now because time is not on our side,? said former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright. Western leaders, some African presidents and aid groups have been pressing President Omar Hassan al-Bashir to accept a United Nations resolution to deploy more than 20,000 peacekeepers in Darfur. Mr. Bashir is to attend a United Nations meeting on Darfur in New York this week, opening the way for further talks, President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa said on Sunday after talks with Mr. Bashir and the United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan. In a protest march in Khartoum to coincide with the global Day for Darfur,? dozens of government supporters marched to United Nations offices to oppose new peacekeepers. However, the countrys former southern rebel movement, now a partner in government, backed the United Nations plan.

Reuters: Sudan set to agree AU mandate extension. Sudan is expected to agree to an extended African Union peacekeeping mandate in Darfur when African foreign ministers meet in New York this week, a presidential adviser was quoted as saying on Monday. Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir is under pressure to accept U.N. peacekeepers in war-torn Darfur when the AU mandate in western Sudan expires on September 30. Britain’s Guardian newspaper quoted presidential adviser Ghazi Salahuddin Atabani as saying Sudan may allow AU troops to remain in Darfur past the deadline with more help from the West. “It is likely we will arrive at an extension of the African Union mandate when the ministers meet in New York. There seems to be a common interest. It will give time for all sides to find a way out of this,” Atabani said. Atabani said Sudan wanted to explore what it called “African Union Plus”, whereby AU peacekeepers remain in Darfur but get help in the form of helicopters and surveillance technology from Western states. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday strongly urged China to use its influence to persuade Sudan to allow a U.N. force to deploy. “He (Li) said that he would work to persuade the Sudanese to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

Reuters: UN: 350, 000 May Be Displaced if AU Leaves Darfur. Some 350,000 people in Sudan’s war-ravaged west could be displaced if African Union forces leave Darfur when their mandate expires at the end of the month, the United Nations said on Monday. It forecast that if the 7,000-strong AU force pulled out of Darfur, humanitarian access there would deteriorate dramatically as attacks on vehicles made road travel impossible outside urban centers. The U.N. also feared more civilians could be killed in areas out of reach of aid workers. “We feel very strongly that any pullout of the peacekeepers as they are today will trigger a much more serious situation in Darfur,” U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan Manuel da Silva told a news conference in Khartoum. “We think that if the African Union leaves Darfur, there will be many more people displaced in a very short time,” he added, estimating that 350,000 could be displaced in the months following a pullout. The United Nations said the anticipated fresh displacements in any void caused by the departure of African forces would involve people moving to already overflowing urban camps or to remote mountains and rural areas, far from humanitarian aid. It also said a pullout could lead to a loss of services including clean water and health care. Cholera was an “ongoing problem,” and the expiration of the AU mandate coincided with the start of the malaria season.

The following editorial appeared in today’s New York Times.

Take the Lead on Darfur

President Bush will face a tough, and in many cases hostile, crowd when he addresses the United Nations General Assembly today. The mayhem in Iraq, his flouting of the Geneva Conventions, the hectoring tone of his previous appearances will all make it much harder for him to elicit the respect or even the full attention that any American president should command.

Still, Mr. Bush could make a difference if he threw aside his usual script, devoted this speech to the horrors of Darfur, and committed himself personally to stopping the genocide.

The tally of human suffering should make even the most jaded listener take notice: at least 200,000 dead and two million more driven from their homes by three years of rape and mutilation led by Sudanese troops and their proxy Arab militias.

Mr. Bush must leave no doubt who is most responsible. Sudans president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, is blocking the Security Council from sending some 20,000 peacekeepers to Darfur, saying that would insult Sudans sovereignty. Mr. Bush should call on all countries including those like China that have been shielding Mr. Bashir to demand that Sudan drop its opposition. He should also say that he will press for broad international sanctions if Mr. Bashir does not quickly reverse his position.

But Mr. Bush cannot stop there. A credible presentation would include an assumption of responsibility. His administration was the first to label the Darfur killing genocide, and he can be proud of that. But that was two years ago, and U.S. officials have paid only intermittent attention since then.

Mr. Bush would begin to set that right if he announced that ending the killing in Darfur was now a first-tier foreign policy concern, one on which Washington would judge its relations with other states. Yesterdays news that Mr. Bush would name a special envoy for Darfur was a good start. That message would be even stronger if Mr. Bush said the U.S. would take the lead in soliciting troops for the U.N. and recommended making NATO planners available to help draw up contingency plans for a possible forced entry. If nothing else does, that implicit threat should grab the attention of Khartoum and Mr. Bushs audience.

Last week, Mr. Bush said he was frustrated with the lack of action in Darfur, calling it an example of why a lot of Americans? are frustrated with the United Nations. He has a chance to change that.

The following editorial appeared in today’s Washington Post.

The Genocide Test

The next few days will show whether China means to let Sudan’s dictatorship get away with genocide. A series of meetings at the United Nations in New York offers the best and possibly the last chance to persuade the Sudanese to allow U.N. peacekeepers into Darfur. The deployment is required by a Security Council resolution passed last month. It is supported by nearly all the leading powers and even by factions within Sudan’s government. But China has so far refused to tell Sudan’s isolated leaders to drop their opposition to a U.N. contingent, even though its extensive investments in Sudan give it the power to do so. If it wants to be regarded as a responsible power, China should use its leverage.

Consider the arguments for not doing so, as presented by Sudan’s spokesmen. Yesterday, Sudan’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations protested that blaming hundreds of thousands of deaths on his government was unfair: “The armed groups in Darfur are the real culprits,” he asserted. But China’s leaders surely know this is absurd: The leading murderers in Darfur are the Janjaweed militia, which has been equipped by Sudan’s government. Meanwhile, at the World Bank-International Monetary Fund meetings yesterday, Sudan’s finance minister argued that “what Darfur needs is not peacekeepers. . . . What Darfur needs most is resources for water, resources for schools, for hospitals.”

But Sudan’s air force has strafed Darfur’s hospitals and schools, and its Janjaweed allies have addressed the region’s water scarcity by poisoning wells with corpses.

Sudan’s president asserts that “the U.N. forces have a hidden agenda in Sudan because they are not coming for peace in Darfur. They want to recolonize Sudan.” His henchmen have indicated that, in place of U.N. peacekeepers, they might be willing to extend the mandate of the African Union force, which is due to leave at the end of this month. Before China accepts this preposterous description of the United Nations and embraces the supposed concession of a renewed African Union mandate, it should read the recent dispatches from journalists inside Darfur. The Post’s Craig Timberg reports that Sudan’s government has seized A.U. jet fuel and used it to fill its own military aircraft; indeed, the airstrip used by the African Union in North Darfur is controlled by Sudanese government forces at night, so fuel is regularly looted. Meanwhile, Janjaweed fighters recently demonstrated their contempt for the A.U. forces by assaulting civilians who had gathered to speak to them.

In short, Sudan’s government is presenting the extension of the African Union’s mandate as a concession, even as it destroys the organization’s ability to operate. The A.U. presence is not preventing the government from mounting bombing raids on civilians with a frequency not seen since the height of the genocide in 2003; nor is it preventing the obstruction of humanitarian efforts in North Darfur, where more than 300,000 people have been cut off from food aid. The African Union has become almost irrelevant, and no responsible government can accept an extension of its mandate as an alternative to a real peacekeeping force.

Is China’s a responsible government?

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