Dear Secretary Rice:

Thank you for your recent strong condemnation of President Bashir’s expulsion of aid agencies in Sudan. The international community must meet Bashir’s attempts at blackmail with a decisive and vigorous response. I urge you to veto any resolution at the UN Security Council that aims to defer the issuance of this arrest.

I applaud your continued commitment to end the Darfur genocide. It is urgent and imperative that the US Mission to the United Nations lead efforts to expand protection of Darfuri civilians and establish a viable peace process for Sudan. While the UNAMID peacekeeping force is a critical component to providing on-the-ground security for millions of Darfuri civilians, it alone will not deliver a just and lasting peace for the people of Sudan. I also urge you to work with members of the Security Council to achieve targeted sanctions against key players obstructing peace in Sudan and a comprehensive arms embargo against the government of Sudan.

Sincerely,