20100924
America.gov

President Barack Obama says Sudan's leaders face a choice between war, continued isolation and international pressure, or peace that can open the way to economic and agricultural development, global integration and improved ties with the United States.

Speaking at a United Nations meeting on Sudan in New York September 24, the president said "the fate of millions of people hangs in the balance" as the country prepares to hold referendums in Southern Sudan and Abyei on January 9, 2011, that could result in those areas choosing to become independent from the government in Khartoum.

"What happens in Sudan in the days ahead may decide whether a people who have endured too much war move towards peace or slip backwards into bloodshed. And what happens in Sudan matters to all of sub-Saharan Africa, and it matters to the world," Obama said.

The international community stands united in wanting to see the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) -- which ended Sudan's civil war -- get fully implemented and the January 9 referendums take place peacefully and on time, he said, adding, "The will of the people of South Sudan and the region of Abyei must be respected, regardless of the outcome."

In addition, irrespective of the outcome, the international community must support development in Southern Sudan "because people there deserve the same dignity and opportunities as anyone else," the president said.

"The Sudanese people need peace," he said, addressing Vice President Ali Osman Taha and his Southern Sudanese counterpart, First Vice President Salva Kiir.

"We all know the terrible price paid by the Sudanese people the last time North and South were engulfed in war: some 2 million people killed, 2 million people; millions more left homeless; millions displaced to refugee camps, threatening to destabilize the entire region," he said.

After facing years of extraordinary hardship, there is now a chance for the Sudanese to "reap the rewards of peace," Obama said.

"It's a future where children, instead of spending the day fetching water, can go to school and come home safe. It's a future where families, back in their homes, can once again farm the soil of their ancestors. It's a future where, because their country has been welcomed back into the community of nations, more Sudanese have the opportunity to travel, more opportunity to provide education, more opportunities for trade. It's a future where, because their economy is tied to the global economy, a woman can start a small business or a manufacturer can export his goods," he said.

Citing the transformation of former conflict zones from the Balkans and Northern Ireland to Liberia, Mozambique and Sierra Leone, the president said compromise is possible and conflicts can end where there are courageous and visionary leaders. "This is the lesson of history," he said.

"We are here because the leaders of Sudan face a choice. It's not the choice of how to move forward to give the people of Sudan the peace they deserve. We already know what needs to be done. The choice for Sudanese leaders is whether they will have the courage to walk the path," he said, adding that those willing to do so "will have a steady partner in the United States of America."

Even with the current focus on peace between Northern and Southern Sudan, Obama said the world "will not abandon the people of Darfur," which has seen a recent upsurge in violence.

The Sudanese government has pledged to improve security and living conditions in Darfur and must act on that pledge now to allow development assistance and aid workers to access the region, he said.

"Infrastructure and public services need to be improved, and those who target the innocent, be they civilians, aid workers or peacekeepers, must be held accountable," he said. Accountability for the genocide in Darfur sends a powerful message beyond Sudan that "certain behavior is simply not acceptable in this world," Obama said.

Ahead of the president's remarks, White House Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs Samantha Power told reporters September 20 that the multilateral U.N. meeting had been intended as a ministerial-level event, but that Obama had decided to participate "because this could not be a more critical time in the life of Sudan and also in the life of international efforts to ensure that these referenda go off on time and peacefully."

She added that Obama's decision had motivated other heads of state to attend, and that the meeting was an opportunity for the international community to "stand together again and send a very forceful message at a critical make-or-break time" in the run-up to the referendums.

The U.N. meeting was meant to "show that the world is united and that the parties need to move very, very briskly and responsibly to ensure that these votes take place on time," Power said.

(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)