The American Election and the Magic of Macaca

Quote: October 10, 2006 His Excellency Amr Moussa Secretary General The League of Arab States 28 Adly 7th Floor Cairo, Egypt Dear Secretary General Moussa: We write to request that you employ all diplomatic means available 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 UN peacekeepers to the region. As you are aware, the conflict in Darfur has intensified over the past four months— despite numerous agreements and United Nations resolutions, including Security Council Resolution 1706 authorizing the transition of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) into a United Nations mission. Over the course of the conflict, Janjaweed, Sudanese government forces and rebel militias have driven more than 200,000 refugees into Chad. Two million people have been displaced— 50,000 of them in the last four months alone. More than 200,000 people have lost their lives, and thousands of women have been raped and assaulted as part of a campaign of ethnic cleansing. Humanitarian operations have also been attacked and disrupted, leaving millions of people—the majority of them women and children— without access to food, water and health care. The Arab League’s offer to dispatch a contingent of Muslim and Arab troops to Darfur as peacekeepers over the weekend has been rejected by Khartoum, and the government of Sudan has offered no alternative solutions. The situation on the ground remains dire. We ask you to urge Arab League members— particularly Qatar, which abstained from the last UNSC vote— to strongly encourage Khartoum to comply with resolution 1706. We commend the Arab League’s pledge last March of $150 million for the AMIS mission, beginning on October 1, 2006. Though AMIS’s mandate was to have expired on September 30, 2006, its extension until January 2007 provides a golden opportunity to fulfill its pledge and play a productive role in resolving the crisis in Darfur. Arab League voices on this matter can save thousands of lives by helping to bring peace and security to Sudan, Chad and other countries in the region. We are committed to doing what we can to protect civilians in Sudan and Chad from further violence and bloodshed, to find a just resolution to the political conflict, and to help Darfur on its long path to reconstruction. Since the conclusion of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, we have begun to see peace and development returning to southern Sudan with the assistance of UN Mission in Sudan. It is now time for us to work together as an international community to make the same progress in Darfur. Deployment of a UN mission is the best option to enforce the ceasefire, protect civilians, ensure access to humanitarian assistance, and begin to rebuild Darfur. Sincerely, U.S. Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr (D-DE) U.S. Senator Bill Frist (R-TN)