Democrat NM Gov. Bill Richardson Forges Ceasefire in Darfur, Where Bush Ignored Genocide

[Dems Will Win]

This a true embarassment to Condi. It didn;t involve shoes or oil, just genocide, so she ignored it. Richardson goes over there and gets a ceasefire in a week.

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's government and Darfur rebels have agreed to a 60-day ceasefire and a peace summit sponsored by the African Union and the United Nations as steps toward stopping the violence in west Sudan, a visiting U.S. official said on Wednesday.

Sudan has also agreed to let foreign journalists visit Darfur after a two-month ban and to remove a requirement for exit visas for aid workers, one of the biggest bureaucratic obstacles to the world's largest aid operation in Darfur.

"President (Omar Hassan al-)Bashir agreed to the start of a peace process that includes a 60-day cessation of hostilities," said U.S. New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, visiting Sudan. The AU-U.N. peace summit is to be held no later than March 15.

Richardson said rebel commanders he had met in Darfur had also agreed to the ceasefire, which would begin on a date to be set by the United Nations and the African Union, which are jointly mediating Darfur peace efforts.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2007-01-10T171704Z_01_MCD053690_RTRUKOC_0_US-SUDAN-DARFUR-CEASEFIRE.xml&WTmodLoc=Home-C5-worldNews-2

please remember to rec

[blogslut]

1. kicked

and recommended!

[peacebird]

2. this is great! DEMS take action for PEACE while Condi does nothing!

and get a ceasefire!

:toast:

[Dr.Phool]

15. Awww, cut her some slack

There was probably a shoe sale going on somewhere.

[tanyev]

21. That's the problem. No good shoe stores in Sudan or Darfur.

Why bother going?

[On the Road]

3. Wow, That is Great!

So much for his weakness in foreign relations.

[Beartracks]

43. Weakness?

What weakness? Who said he was weak? The guy is a regular globe-trotting peace warrior.

[notadmblnd]

4. This is great news....

but it's just a shame that our elected officials in Washington are so damn incompetent.

[underpants]

5. Was Richardson in any way representing the Federal govt.?

:shrug:

[izzybeans]

9. I read that he had some past experience with Al-bashir and that he was asked by

a NGO to head up negotiations. It was a "private" negotiation, I think. I'll google around to see if I can find something.

On edit: here is something similar

http://coalitionfordarfur.blogspot.com/2007/01/darfur-richardson-hopeful-for.html

[progressoid]

12. Not representing, but supported by the * administration...

http://peacejournalism.com/ReadArticle.asp?ArticleID=13374

The Bush administration says it supports the effort by New Mexico state Governor Bill Richardson to persuade Sudan to drop its objection to new peacekeeping troops for Darfur. State Department officials say Sudanese leaders have sounded more conciliatory on the issue in recent days, but that the United States is not dropping a threat of punitive action against Khartoum. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

Governor Bill Richardson is a prominent Democrat, who has been critical of the Republican administration on many issues. But, officials here are making clear they support the governor's mission to Sudan, and do not consider it an example of diplomatic freelancing.

Richardson, who was ambassador to the United Nations during the Clinton administration, met privately with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to press him to end his opposition to deploying a so-called hybrid force of United Nations and African Union peacekeepers in Darfur.

[creeksneakers2]

6. recommended n/t

[Blue_Roses]

7. this is awesome!

Bill Richardson always gets it done when it comes to diplomacy. He rocks! :applause:

[cagoldensun5050]

32. YEAH!!!!!

[datadiva]

8. OMG!

This is awesome. I really like Richardson. Outspoken and courageous. Condi, listen up. Maybe you should take lessons on what your job title means. This is a governor doing your job. This is a governor doing your job well.

[Beelzebud]

10. Imagine that. TALKING works... Pathetic that Bush ignored this....

[progressoid]

11. Ummm, the article doesn't say he "forged a ceasefire"

Most of the articles I read, state that he met with them but not that he forged a ceasefire. :shrug:

Richardson said rebel commanders he had met in Darfur had also agreed to the ceasefire, which would begin on a date to be set by the United Nations and the African Union, which are jointly mediating Darfur peace efforts.

[Dems Will Win]

14. Sorry I was gone at work -- Here is how he forged it -- personally:

U.S. governor and potential presidential candidate Bill Richardson drew on his relationship with the Sudanese president to press him Monday to open war-torn Darfur to United Nations troops and obtain a cease-fire.

Richardson met President Omar al-Bashir privately for nearly an hour of talks on the western region of Sudan, where nearly four years of fighting have displaced 2.5 million people and seen more than 200,000 others die of violence, disease and malnutrition.

Richardson emerged touting progress. He would not say whether al-Bashir gave him any commitments, but he said they would meet again Wednesday and issue a joint statement then.

"The meeting was good. We made some progress," Richardson told local reporters outside the president's mint green residence.

Back at his hotel, Richardson told The Associated Press that he and al-Bashir had discussed the proposed U.N. peacekeeping force for Darfur, a cease-fire, protection for humanitarian groups working in the region, growing sexual violence against refugees and a potential conference with rebel leaders.



We're going to press the rebels to participate not just in the Abuja process, but in the cease-fire and protecting humanitarian groups," Richardson said Monday. He said he and al-Bashir discussed how to bring into the peace process those who had refused to sign the Abuja agreement.

The governor, a potential 2008 Democratic presidential candidate, also met earlier with Sudanese foreign minister Lam Akol, bringing along humanitarian workers that included one representative of the Save Darfur Coalition. The coalition organized the trip and has been instrumental in bringing attention to the crisis and criticism on al-Bashir's government.

Save Darfur brought Richardson to Sudan because the governor has successfully negotiated in the past with al-Bashir. In September, the governor persuaded al-Bashir to release a New Mexico journalist imprisoned in Darfur. Richardson also worked with al-Bashir in 1996 to negotiate the release of three Red Cross workers held hostage by Sudanese rebels.

http://coalitionfordarfur.blogspot.com/2007/01/darfur-richardson-hopeful-for.html

[pampango]

19. Any good news on Darfur is welcome, but ...

the Reuters story on this says that the ceasefire "would begin on a date to be set by the United Nations and the African Union, which are jointly mediating Darfur peace efforts."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070110/wl_nm/sudan_darfur_ceasefire_dc

I hope that the ceasefire and peace summit actually happen and that the violence is curtailed in the interim. I don't trust Bashir to call of the Janjaweed, but you have to keep him talking and then make him live up to his word. Kudos to Richardson for pulling this off.

(Hope the ceasefire works better than the one between the Spanish government and the Basque separatists. After they claimed responsibility for bombing the Madrid airport, the Basque group claimed that this bombing didn't mean that the ceasefire was over, while the government said "Oh yes it is." Any group that thinks that a bombing is consistent with a ceasefire has lawyers that I want on my side in any argument.

[YDogg]

13. I admire Richardson. Condi doesn't hold a candle to him.

[alfredo]

16. He's presidential material. He really is.

[Elwood P Dowd]

20. Secretary Of State maye, but please NOT President.

He is a huge supporter of outsourcing, fake free trade agreements, and other job-killing republican policies. He jumped in bed with Newt and the gang on NAFTA, WTO, and GATT during his House days in the 90's.

[duhneece]

23. His policies have created jobs in NM..local Repubs like him

And I live in a very conservative part of NM. When I saw all 5 living presidents support NAFTA (including President Carter), I thought NAFTA could mean less poverty and a growing trend toward human rights in third world nations and I supported it. I'll admit I was very wrong. Very.
I liked Richardson when he signed some sort of state order to stop the oil/natural gas drilling on Otero Mesa, a unique desert grasslands area.
He's not perfect, but I really like him.

[bpeale]

28. i am in southern new mexico

and i really, really like Bill Richardson. he has done everything he said he would do when he became governor. he even encouraged us to unionize & actively supported unionization. he's the man! and he would make a truly GREAT president!

[duhneece]

33. Statement by Richardson on Bush Iraq plan

Maybe this would have been more appropriate in the threads on Bush's plan, but I think it is appropriate here in this discussion of Richardson. I especially like "The only surge we need in Iraq is a diplomatic one."

From: Goldstein, Jon, GOV
Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2007 3:04 PM
Subject: New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson Issues Statement on Bush Iraq Plan



State of New Mexico

Office of the Governor



Bill Richardson News Release

Governor



For Immediate Release Contact: Jon Goldstein

January 10, 2007 [phone]



New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson Issues Statement on Bush Iraq Plan

SANTA FE, NM – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today issued the following statement concerning President Bush’s plan – to be formally announced this evening – to escalate American troop involvement in Iraq.

“I strongly oppose any plan to increase American troop levels in Iraq. Sending more American troops will not make us safer. It will only add to the sectarian violence that is already tearing Iraq apart. I am also very concerned with this plan’s impact on our overburdened National Guard forces, which already compose half of our forces in Iraq.

The only surge we need in Iraq is a diplomatic one. We need to withdraw American troops from Iraq this year, redeploy our men and women to Afghanistan and other international terrorism hotspots, and reinvigorate our diplomacy throughout the Middle East. We need a political solution to the Iraq crisis, not a military one.”

[bpeale]

41. HALLELUJAH!!! that's our governor!

[alfredo]

31. Oh, OK. SoS would probably be better.

Still, he has the skill set to be president.

[huskerlaw]

17. Holy freakin' CRAP

Why the fuck do we even bother having a State Department? Worthless bastards.

Very major kudos to Governor Richardson. A very proud moment for him, and for Democrats in general.

May the peace talks be fruitful. :woohoo:

[OregonBlue]

18. Any mention on ANY news network yet? Start sending is to Keith, Jack!

[ellisonz]

22. Go Bill II!

:applause:

[proud patriot]

24. Right On

:thumbsup:

[whistle]

25. Bush/Cheney are war mongers of the worst kind, IMPEACH them

....both now!

[nini]

26. Awesome News!!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[Morgana LaFey]

27. Excellent. But --

isn't there some law against private citizens (as opposed to Federal Govt Employees whose job it is to do so) going around effecting foreign policy?

Well, then I think of Jesse Jackson flying here and there negotiating for hostages.

What am I thinking of, this law? Anyone know?

[Quixote1818]

29. Richardson has some kind of magic he works in these kinds of situations

Over and over he ends up working out a deal no matter who it is. How many hostages has he freed over the years anyway?

[Glimmer of Hope]

30. Great news- I hope it pans out.

[iamjoy]

34. Is He Running?

I'm intrigued because governors tend to do better than curren Congressmen or Senators. But, I've also heard Richardson's a little lacking in the charimsa department.

I forgive him NAFTA. Lots of progressives were for it - we really thought it would help.

[TygrBright]

35. He's NOT lacking in charisma, it's just a particular KIND of charisma...

...it's not the movie-star, Kennedyesque, John Edwards swoony kind.

It's the "everybody's favorite uncle" kind. You just LIKE the guy. He manages to pull off the hat trick of being simultaneously authoritative, non-threatening, and likable.

He wouldn't be my first pick for Pres, but I think he's a great Goober for New Mexico and might be stellar in the Veep slot. In fact, I think that's what he's really angling for. He's a smart hombre.

I'm glad he's making some progress there, those poor barstids need a break.

approvingly,
Bright

[fujiyama]

36. This could potentially be good news

It's too early to tell though. Can the Janjaweed really be trusted and is the president capable or willing to do anything much about it?

It's too bad this wasn't able to be done much sooner. This has been going on for so many years now.

But Richardson shows the kind of diplomatic skills and capability we need, especially after 8 years of this disastrous presidency. The Secretary of State sounds quiet on this. He just moved up a notch or two in my book, if he decided to run for president. Either way, if a Democrat makes it in '08, we will need his skills in some capacity.

[Horse with no Name]

37. I don't like Richardson and don't wish to see him seek higher office

However, this is very good.
Credit where credit is due.
Thank you Governor Richardson.

[Dems Will Win]

38. Richardson is very pro-nuclear power, so he's out in my book

THe truth is, any number of Democratic diplomats could have done the same thing, but he had the cajones to do it and so good on him!

[Pacifist Patriot]

39. I can't evaluate the career, just this act.

Very well done Richardson, very well done!

Sorry, but I know virtually nil about him other than knowing he is the Dem governor of New Mexico.

[Horse with no Name]

42. He stood in the way of counting the votes in New Mexico in 2004

and personally ordered the machines wiped while they were still trying to raise the money to force a recount. There was a huge undervote in the voting for the President which was suspicious...and it was prime pickings to prove that election fraud occured on a large scale. In fact, if New Mexico had gone for John Kerry, then it would have changed the course of history. What was he hiding?
That permanently crossed him out of my book as a potential anything outside of New Mexico. Obviously, the people in his state like him.
They can keep him.

[skipos]

40. Impressive. The more non-senators from flippable red states

seeking the nomination, the better.

He needs to lose some weight though. I couldn't care less, but America doesn't elect presidents that fat anymore.