April 9, 2007

Congressman Gregory W. Meeks Participates in
Congressional Delegation to Sudan, Egypt, Greece and Germany

(WASHINGTON, DC)Monday, April 9, 2006 - Last week, Congressman Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY) a member of the House Foreign Relations Committee and vice-chair of its subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment took part in a bipartisan congressional delegation (CODEL) to Sudan, Egypt, Greece and Germany. The delegation, which was lead by Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD), sought to gain a better insight into the conditions on the ground in Sudan as well as the prospects for an immediate and long term action aimed at solving the grave humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan. In discussions with Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak the Members of Congress urged Egypt to take a leading role in helping the people of Darfur and bolstering the African Union's peacekeeping force in Darfur. During a brief stopover in Greece, the delegation emphasized to Minister of Foreign Affairs Dora Bakoyannis that all members of the international community, large and small, could, and should, play a greater role in trying to end what the United Nations and the Bush Administrationhave termed genocide.

The bipartisan CODEL traveled extensively during its three day visit to Sudan, traveling to Southern Sudan, North Darfur, and Kartoum, Sudan's capital. Delegation members met with senior regional and central government officials, leaders of regional legislative assemblies, residents at an internally displace person's camp, non-governmental humanitarian assistance organizations, signatories of the Darfur Peace Agreement, the African Union ambassador to the Sudan, as well as the commander of the African Union peacekeeping force. The delegation also accompanied Rebecca Garang widow of the former rebel leader and Sudanese vice-president to the John Garang Memorial Site.

Focusing on the Sudanese portion of the trip, Congressman Meeks said, "Our visit to Sudan provided a unique opportunity not only to assess conditions and send a strong message that the world is watching, but also to educate ourselves and other members of Congress about the extraordinary complexity of the Darfur crisis. The genocide in Darfur is a continuing human tragedy. The violence goes on unabated. The Sudanese government insists that ultimately only a peace agreement will resolve the multiple and interconnected internal conflicts. I agree that a peace agreement is needed but in the mean time, theviolence must stop. This means strengthening the African Union peacekeeping force which has an AU and a UN Security Council mandate. At present, African Union peacekeepers are out-resourced, undermanned, overwhelmed, and often unpaid. They do not have the physical capability or infrastructure of support to match the forces committing genocide in Darfur. Their number needs to be raised to at least 22,000 troops. Their resources, weaponry, and access to helicopters and other means of air transport needs to be vastly increased. Then and only then will the people of Darfur, will the African Union, will the international community be able to preserve lives while a peace agreement settling the internal conflict is reached and brought into effect. Clearly, the United States can and must make a difference. I hope our delegation will stimulate a dialogue within Congress and with the Administration on more effective and forceful ways to mobilize the international community, countries in the region, and concerns ofpeople everywhere."

The eleven member delegation, which in addition to Majority Leader Hoyer and Rep. Meeks included Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen , the Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman John Barrow (D-GA), Congressman G.K . Butterfield ( D-NC), Congressman Jim Costa (D-CA), Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Congressman Ray LaHood (R-IL), Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), Congressman Brad Miller (D-NC) and Congressman Jerry Moran (R-KS), concluded its trip with a visit to U.S. soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan who are being treated at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.

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