USA*Engage Applauds Danforth's Call for Engagement with Sudan

Washington, D.C. - USA*Engage today applauds the pro-engagement recommendations made in the report released today by the President's special envoy to Sudan, former Senator John Danforth.

"The Danforth Report recognizes that engagement, not isolation, can be a powerful tool for change," said Don Deline, Chairman of USA*Engage. "It is our sincere hope that the Bush Administration will embrace Senator Danforth's recommendations to bolster a U.S. diplomatic presence in Sudan. The U.S. needs to send a message to the world that it is dedicated to finding a long-term solution to the Sudanese conflict. Danforth has made great strides in a search for peace - this is certainly not the time for the United States to disengage."

The Outlook for Peace in Sudan, Danforth's report to President Bush, recommends that the "participation by the United States in the search for peace, while being collaborative and catalytic, must also be energetic and effective. At the least, this means that we would have to enhance our presently light diplomatic presence in Sudan in order to be effective participants in a sustained, intensive peace process."

The report also calls for a peace plan that includes fair allocation of oil resources and a monetary formula for sharing oil revenue between the central government and the people of the southern Sudan.

"The Danforth Report clearly states that no enduring solution to Sudan's civil war can be achieved unless the oil issue is effectively addressed," said Bill Reinsch, President of the National Foreign Trade Council and Vice-Chairman of USA*Engage. "The Danforth report sends a strong signal that engaging Sudan holds far greater promise than imposing sanctions such as those proposed in the Sudan Peace Act."

USA*ENGAGE is a coalition of over 670 small and large businesses, agriculture groups and trade associations working to seek alternatives to the proliferation of unilateral U.S. foreign policy sanctions and to promote the benefits of U.S. engagement abroad. For more information on USA*ENGAGE and the harmful effects of unilateral trade sanctions, visit the USA*ENGAGE web site at www.usaengage.org.

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