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Darfur Needs Credible, Effective International Force, Bush Says

31 October 2006

Special envoy Andrew Natsios and others to present plan to Sudanese government

By Stephen Kaufman
Washington File White House Correspondent

Washington -- President Bush called for a “credible and effective international force” to be sent to Darfur and said the government of Sudan must understand that the United States is “earnest and serious” when calling for Khartoum to work with the international community.

Speaking with U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Andrew Natsios at the White House on October 31, Bush said Natsios had been in the country for only 10 days, but he “came back with a grim report about the human condition, a lot of people who suffer.”  Natsios also returned from Sudan with the understanding that the international community needs to “do something about it,” Bush said.

The president said the United States will work with its global partners to “come up with a single plan on how to address this issue and save lives.” He added that Natsios and other international envoys will present that plan to the Sudanese government. The plan, Bush said, would include the need for an international force to “make it clear that the international community respects human life, and the international community will work in concert to save human life.”

The situation in Darfur is on the minds of the American people, Bush said, adding that those who are suffering “need to know that the United States will work with others to help solve the problem.”

The president said the Sudanese government needs to understand that when Natsios delivers a message on behalf of the United States government, “we're earnest and serious about their necessity to step up and work with the international community.”

White House press secretary Tony Snow told reporters that Bush is “outraged” about the humanitarian situation in Darfur.

“He believes that the international community needs to step up, and he believes that the government of Sudan needs to do it as well,” Snow said.

A transcript of Bush's remarks on Darfur is available at the White House Web site.

For more information on U.S. policy, see Darfur Humanitarian Emergency.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)