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Smith Calls for Special Envoy for |
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – A special U.S. envoy for Sudan is needed to help usher in peace and stability in that war-torn nation according to Africa Subcommittee Chairman Chris Smith who met with the President of Southern Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit, on Capitol Hill today. Chairman Smith and members of the House International Relations Committee met with Kiir, who also heads the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), to discuss how the In May, the Government of Sudan and the strongest faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement, one of the “This peace accord is our best opportunity to achieve the lasting peace in Smith and Kiir also discussed issues arising from the slow implementation of the CPA, which was signed in 2005, including the issue of sharing oil revenues. Kiir told the members that Finally, Smith discussed the SPLM’s efforts to mediate a peace agreement between the Government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), which has kidnapped thousands of children and forced them to become child soldiers over the last 20 years. The LRA’s leader, Joseph Kony, is wanted for war crimes in “I and many of my colleagues in Congress believe Kony should join former Liberian dictator Charles Taylor at The Hague for a war crimes trial, but the SPLM believes amnesty for Kony and his men at this point will help end the nightmare for so many women and children in that region of Africa. Time will tell whether that strategy is worth pursuing,” Smith explained. Kiir is the President of Southern “I appreciate President Kiir’s time and candor. It clear that there are many outstanding issues that need to be resolved with both the crisis in Darfur and the implementation of the north-south peace agreement, and I will make sure that the | ||
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For Immediate Release: July 26, 2006 Contact: Patrick Creamer (202) 225-3765 |
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