Letter
Letter on U. S. Senate Regarding Resolution on Sudan With Focus on Implementation of Comprehensive Peace Agreement, February 5, 2010
February 5, 2010
Honorable Russ Feingold
506 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-4904
Honorable Sam Brownback
303 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-4904
Dear Senator Feingold and Senator Brownback:
I am writing to support Senate Resolution 404 and its focus on full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and other efforts to promote peace and stability in Sudan.
In a December 2009 pastoral letter, the Bishops’ Conference of Sudan stated, “The political situation in our country has reached a crucial and decisive moment due to non-implementation of some key component of the protocols….” They raise concerns over the lack of demarcated North-South borders, the failure to repeal repressive laws, the delays in the election and the popular consultations in the border areas, the crises in Darfur and Abyei, and the continuing violence in the country.
The Bishops of Sudan call on the international community to engage both the parties to the conflict in Darfur and the parties to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in an effort to ensure that they honor their commitments to building peace in Sudan.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) stands in solidarity with the bishops of Sudan. Senate Resolution 404 recognizes the severity of the situation in Sudan and the urgency with which the outstanding problems and challenges must be resolved. The Resolution echoes the calls of the Bishops of Sudan and reflects the policy statements and letters that the USCCB has issued in recent years.
We are grateful to you and the other co-sponsors for introducing this timely and important bipartisan resolution. Swift consideration and passage by the Senate will make a clear statement to the Administration, to the people of Sudan and to the international community that the United States will do all it can to help build a sustainable peace with the people of Sudan.
Sincerely yours,
Most Reverend Howard J. Hubbard
Bishop of Albany
Chairman, Committee on International Justice and Peace