HRES 1093 IH
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1093
Calling on the President not to attend the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing until China takes credible steps to persuade Sudan to end the genocide in Darfur and allow full deployment of the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 9, 2008
Mr. CAPUANO (for himself, Mr. DOYLE, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Ms. LEE, Mr. MCCOTTER, Mr. MCGOVERN, and Mr. OLVER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
RESOLUTION
Calling on the President not to attend the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing until China takes credible steps to persuade Sudan to end the genocide in Darfur and allow full deployment of the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur.
Whereas the Government of Sudan has been carrying out a genocide against the people of Darfur since 2003;
Whereas, since 2003, more than 450,000 people have died from violent attacks, disease, or starvation, and more than 2,800,000 people have been displaced in this campaign of murder and devastation;
Whereas the United States House of Representatives and Senate each passed resolutions on July 22, 2004, declaring that the crimes in Darfur amounted to genocide;
Whereas the President of the United States declared on September 21, 2004, that the horrific acts in Darfur constituted genocide;
Whereas, on April 18, 2007, President Bush delivered a speech recalling the recent history of the conflict in Darfur, stating that `the government in Khartoum unleashed a horse-mounted militia called the Janjaweed, which carried out systematic assaults against innocent civilians' and calling on the United States `to continue to demand that the genocide in Sudan be stopped';
Whereas Government-sponsored attacks on Darfurian villages continue to this day, and worsening violence has forced humanitarian organizations to shrink or suspend operations, leaving tens of thousands without aid;
Whereas the United Nations Security Council passed a unanimous resolution in July 2007, calling for a joint African Union/United Nations peacekeeping force, the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), of 26,000 with a mandate to take necessary actions to protect civilians, its personnel, and humanitarian workers;
Whereas as of February 2008, UNAMID has deployed an estimated 9,200, its deployment slowed by continuous obstructions by the Government of Sudan around the nationalities of the troops, communication, land for bases, customs clearance, etc.;
Whereas, in January 2008, Sudanese Armed Forces attacked a UNAMID convoy, wounding a driver and damaging several vehicles;
Whereas the People's Republic of China has invested more than $10,000,000,000 in Sudan and is the major supplier of weapons, weapons technology, and weapons engineering expertise to Sudan;
Whereas Sudan's oil exports to China more than doubled in 2007, and China imports between 60 and 70 percent of Sudan's total oil production;
Whereas China is Sudan's most important economic trading partner, and, according to the 2006 `CIA World Factbook', accounts for approximately 31 percent of Sudan's exports;
Whereas Amnesty International released a report in May of 2007 showing photographs of Chinese-made military planes at airports in Darfur, which violates UN Security Council Resolution 1591 forbidding any parties to the conflict to import weapons into Darfur;
Whereas, according to a March 2008 report by Human Rights First, Chinese sales of arms and weaponry to Sudan have intensified since the late 1990s, including over $55,000,000 in small arms during the 2003 through 2006 period, 20 A-5C Fantan fighter-bombers in 2003, and six K-8 advanced trainer aircraft in 2006;
Whereas the sale of Sudanese oil is furnishing the purchasing of advanced weaponry;
Whereas H. Res. 422 unanimously passed in 2007 calling on the People's Republic of China to publicly condemn the violence in Darfur, and stop selling weapons, ammunition, and related military equipment to the Government of Sudan and stating that China should suspend economic cooperation with the Government of Sudan until the Government stops attacks on civilians, complies with all UN Security Council Resolutions, and negotiates in good faith with all parties to the Darfur conflict;
Whereas China has not in any meaningful way used its relative economic or diplomatic influence with Sudan to force the Government to abandon its policy of genocide in Darfur;
Whereas China will host the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing;
Whereas the Olympic Charter's fundamental principles highlight the importance of `promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity'; and
Whereas the theme slogan for the 2008 Olympic Games is `One World One Dream': Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the United States House of Representatives calls on the President to not attend the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing until China--
(1) persuades Sudan to end violent attacks in Darfur and allow for the full deployment of the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur; and
(2) takes steps to stop arms sales to Sudan.
U.S. Congress - Text of H.Res.1093 as Introduced in House Calling on the President not to attend the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games i...
