Rep. Wolf to Secretary Kerry: Appoint a Sudans Envoy
Posted by Amber Maze on Feb 13, 2013
In a letter to newly appoint Secretary of State John Kerry, Rep.
Frank Wolf (R-VA) called on Secretary Kerry to make the appointment of
a special envoy to the Sudan(s) a top priority. The United States has
always played a vital role in trying to resolve the conflicts within
Sudan and between the governments of Sudan and South Sudan since
before the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, or CPA. Wolf
noted in his letter to Secretary Kerry:
In September 2001, President Bush appointed Senator Danforth as
special envoy and his leadership was in fact instrumental in securing,
after two and a half years of negotiations, the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement (CPA), thereby bringing about an end to the war. Danforth
was a high-profile appointment. He had the ear of the president and
the secretary and didn’t get bogged down in the department’s
bureaucracy. He was uniquely positioned to negotiate and his stature,
prior to taking the job, communicated a clear sense of urgency and
priority on the part of the U.S.
Rep. Wolf emphasized the need to focus in particular on tensions
between Sudan and South Sudan that are “nearing a tipping point.” The
United States must take the helm among international actors to
maintain peace and security in Sudan, South Sudan, and the Darfur
region, Wolf wrote, arguing, “Our approach to Sudan and South Sudan
needs reinvigorating.”
With current envoy to the Sudans Princeton Lyman retiring, the Enough
Project continues to call on the Obama administration to appoint a new
U.S. special envoy to Sudan and South Sudan. As Wolf noted, history
has shown that an experienced and respected U.S. special envoy can
play a critical role in implementing U.S. policy towards Sudan and
South Sudan, sustaining the U.S. government’s attention on the
situation, and maintaining diplomatic relations with officials from
the two Sudans, as well as other key regional and international
actors. Indeed, given the complex issues at play in the
region—conflict prevention, humanitarian assistance, national
security, the Arab Spring, and promotion of human rights and
democracy—and the multiple stakeholders involved, the appointment of
an experienced special envoy is critical.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Wolf Calls On Secretary Kerry To Appoint New Sudan Special Envoy
Tuesday February 12, 2013
Contact: Jill Shatzen
(202) 225-5136
WOLF CALLS ON SECRETARY KERRY
TO APPOINT NEW SUDAN SPECIAL ENVOY
Washington, D.C. (February 12, 2013) – Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) today
said the appointment of a special envoy to Sudan should be a top
priority for new Secretary of State John Kerry.
In a letter to Kerry today, Wolf recommended someone like former
Senator Russ Feingold for the position. He wrote that Feingold, who
served with Kerry on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and
chaired the Subcommittee on African Affairs, “possesses both the
stature and the knowledge necessary for the task at hand.”
Wolf praised the work of former Senator John Danforth during his
tenure as special envoy under President Bush, and called for a similar
“high-profile” individual with enough stature to “communicate a clear
sense of urgency and priority on the part of the U.S.” to take over
the role. Wolf was the driving force behind the creation of a special
envoy to Sudan in 2001.
In describing Danforth’s tenure as special envoy, Wolf wrote that
“his leadership was in fact instrumental in securing, after two and a
half years of negotiations, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA),
thereby bringing an end to the war.”
Since then, Wolf said, hope for continued peace has waned.
“In the years that followed, America has rightly been viewed as a
guarantor of the peace given how intimately involved we were in the
CPA process,” he wrote. “Sadly, that peace is now in jeopardy.”
Wolf cited tension between Sudan and South Sudan, refugees fleeing
violence and starvation in the Nuba Mountains, and genocide in Darfur.
“Our approach to Sudan and South Sudan needs reinvigorating,” Wolf
concluded. “While an envoy alone does not a policy make, a
high-profile special envoy, from outside the department, with the
knowledge and mandate to aggressively pursue peace, security and
justice for the people of Sudan and South Sudan, is an important step
in the right direction.”
The full text of the letter is below.
The Honorable John Kerry
Secretary of State
2201 C St. NW Ste. 7276
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Secretary Kerry:
Congratulations on your recent confirmation as Secretary of State.
At a March 14, 2012 Senate hearing on Sudan which you chaired, you
said, “Make no mistake: it is the leaders in Khartoum and Juba who
must choose between a future of conflict and poverty or a future of
security and prosperity. But we must not abdicate the important role
the United States can play [emphasis added] in helping to nurture that
process just as we helped midwife the birth of this new nation.”
In that vein, I urge you, among your first acts as secretary, to move
swiftly to appoint a new Sudan Special Envoy to fill the vacancy left
by Princeton Lyman’s announced departure. I believe that someone
like former Senator Russ Feingold, who served with you on the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee and who chaired the Subcommittee on
African Affairs, would be well-suited to the challenge. He possesses
both the stature and the knowledge necessary for the task at hand.
You’ve rightly recognized the critical role that a previous envoy,
namely former Senator John Danforth, played in helping “midwife the
birth” of South Sudan. In September 2001, President Bush appointed
Senator Danforth as special envoy and his leadership was in fact
instrumental in securing, after two and a half years of negotiations,
the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), thereby bringing about an end
to the war. Danforth was a high-profile appointment. He had the ear
of the president and the secretary and didn’t get bogged down in the
department’s bureaucracy. He was uniquely positioned to negotiate and
his stature, prior to taking the job, communicated a clear sense of
urgency and priority on the part of the U.S. He didn’t require a
sizeable staff, or even a full-time State Department post, but the
diplomatic feat he accomplished was nothing short of remarkable.
In the years that followed, America has rightly been viewed as a
guarantor of the peace given how intimately involved we were in the
CPA process. Sadly, that peace is now in jeopardy.
I was at the 2005 signing of this historic accord in Kenya, as was
then Secretary of State Colin Powell and the late Congressman Donald
Payne, among others. Hopes were high—but what remains of that hope has
all but disappeared. Tensions between Sudan and South Sudan are on
the rise and nearing a tipping point. Thousands are starving in the
Nuba Mountains. Refugees fleeing violence and seeking aid pour over
the border into South Sudan. Low-grade genocide persists in Darfur.
An internationally indicted war criminal remains at the helm in
Khartoum and travels the globe with virtual impunity.
Our approach to Sudan and South Sudan needs reinvigorating. It
demands a renewed sense of moral clarity about who we are dealing with
in Khartoum—namely genocidaires. It necessitates someone who can
speak candidly with our friends in South Sudan about their own
internal challenges, including corruption, and shortcomings as a new
nation. While an envoy alone does not a policy make, a high-profile
special envoy, from outside the department, with the knowledge and
mandate to aggressively pursue peace, security and justice for the
people of Sudan and South Sudan, is an important step in the right
direction.
Best wishes.
Sincerely,
Frank R. Wolf
Member of Congress
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"South Sudan Info - The Kob" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to [email protected].
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
