United States Contact with Government of Sudan

Question: Has there been senior level contact with the Sudanese government to clarify their position on accepting a United Nations peacekeeping force? Who did we contact? What is the U.S. reaction?

Answer: President Bush called Sudanese President Bashir on May 8 after the signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement. The President commended President Bashir on his work for the peace agreement and urged Sudan’s Government of National Unity to express clear support for a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Darfur. In his public remarks on May 8, the President said, "The vulnerable people of Darfur deserve more than sympathy. They deserve the active protection that the United Nations peacekeepers can provide."

In addition to the President’s call to President Bashir, Deputy Secretary Zoellick, Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer, and our Charge d’Affaires in Sudan, Ambassador Cameron Hume, have been in contact with very senior Sudanese officials, emphasizing to them directly the vital importance of a United Nations mission to fulfill the extensive monitoring and implementation duties called for in the Darfur Peace Agreement.

Recognizing the reality and necessity of a robust United Nations peacekeeping force to implement the extensive monitoring and implementation duties spelled out in the Darfur Peace Agreement, it is imperative that the Sudanese government cooperate immediately with Security Council Resolution 1679 so that the transition takes place as quickly as possible.

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