Darfur / Sudan

Both legislatures are concerned about the ongoing situation in Darfur, a region in the West of Sudan. This week is being observed as "Global Days for Darfur" [April 23rd - 30th].

In the United States the House Majority Leader has set up a page on his website

http://www.majorityleader.gov/members/sudancodel.cfm

which links to a number of useful resources and includes a report from the recent bipartisan CODEL (Congressional Delegation) that visited the area recently. On Wednesday the House of Representatives discussed a bill introduced by Congresswoman Barbara Lee ( H.Con.Res 7 )
calling on the League of Arab States to acknowledge the Genocide in Darfur. You can read the debate in the Congressional Record

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?position=all&page=H4055&dbname=2007_record from the 5th page in.

At Westminster there is an Associate Parliamentary Group for Sudan, set up to "promote, in Westminster and Whitehall, the cause of peace, justice and development for all the people of Sudan." The issues are frequently raised in Oral Questions in both Houses and in Written Questions. On Thursday the Leader of the House of Commons, Jack Straw, announced that there would be a debate on Darfur soon, although the date has yet to be fixed.