Edolphus Towns: “as you are keenly aware, the road to peace for the people of Sudan has been long and perilous. Yet the prospect for a…”

“as you are keenly aware, the road to peace for the people of Sudan has been long and perilous. Yet the prospect for a lasting peace may finally be at hand. Negotiations among the government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) have been ongoing over the past ten months under a renewed commitment to peace and with a determination to resolve the important issues that remain. I observed today, the debate on H. Res. 194 regarding the importance of international efforts to abolish slavery and other human rights abuses in Sudan. Mr. Speaker, I share the concerns of my distinguished colleagues and their desire to see and end to slavery and human rights abuses, be it Sudan or elsewhere in the world. But while we cannot condone or even forget the past, in my view the interests of the people of Sudan are best served by focusing on the future and finding lasting peace and stability for the region. On April 21, 2003, President Bush, in his presidential determination under the Sudan Peace Act, certified that the government of Sudan and the People's Liberation Movement (SPLM/A) are negotiating in good faith.”