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TESTIMONY: John Prendergast on U.S. Sudan Policy

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TESTIMONY: John Prendergast on U.S. Sudan Policy

Posted by Enough Team on July 29, 2009

 

 
For Immediate Release
July 29, 2009
Contact
Eileen White Read, 202.741.6376
[email protected]

 


TESTIMONY: John Prendergast on U.S. Sudan Policy
 
Reminder: John Prendergast will host a global press conference tomorrow, Thursday, July 30, at 1:00pm EDT, to respond to the testimony of Sudan Special Envoy Scott Gration before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
 
Call-in numbers: 888-674-0222 (U.S.), 201-604-0498 (outside the U.S.)
Conference I.D.: Enough Project

 
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – John Prendergast, Co-founder of the Enough Project, testified before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa today at a hearing, Sudan, U.S. Policy and Implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
 
In his testimony, Prendergast made the following points:
 
·         “U.S. leadership – multilaterally and when necessary unilaterally – will be an enormously influential ingredient in a successful transition to peace and democracy in Sudan.”
 
·         “Ending genocide in Darfur and fulfilling the promise of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement requires a comprehensive approach to Sudan rather than reactive crisis management.”
 
·         “In the absence of any agreement on the policy, U.S. diplomatic engagement has been energetic, for which Special Envoy Gration should be credited.  But the substance of this robust engagement has been fraught with missteps, lack of internal coordination, and an overall aversion to pressuring the ruling National Congress Party.”
 
·         “Sustained pressure leveraged by meaningful and focused sticks is the principal tool that has moved the NCP to change its behavior during the twenty years of its authoritarian rule.  This substantial track record of empirical evidence of the value of pressure makes the direction of U.S. diplomacy all the more questionable.”
 
·         “The Obama administration has resolutely worked to craft more formidable international coalitions to isolate North Korea and Iran for important U.S. policy objectives.  However, the U.S. is not doing the same for Sudan, despite the existence of a regime there that is responsible directly or indirectly for the loss of two and a half million lives in the South and Darfur.”
 
Prendergast’s full prepared statement can be viewed here.
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For additional information:
 
VISIT the Enough Project’s blog, Enough Said, for updates on this issue.
 
FOLLOW the Enough Project on Twitter, http://twitter.com/enoughproject.
 
The Center for American Progress is a nonpartisan research and educational institute dedicated to promoting a strong, just and free America that ensures opportunity for all. We believe that Americans are bound together by a common commitment to these values and we aspire to ensure that our national policies reflect these values. Enough is a project of the Center for American Progress to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Founded in 2007, Enough focuses on crises in Sudan, Chad, eastern Congo, northern Uganda, Somalia, and Zimbabwe. Enough’s strategy papers and briefings provide sharp field analysis and targeted policy recommendations based on a “3P” crisis response strategy: promoting durable peace, providing civilian protection, and punishing perpetrators of atrocities. Enough works with concerned citizens, advocates, and policy makers to prevent, mitigate, and resolve these crises. For more information, contact Eileen White Read, 202.741.6376; [email protected].
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