U.S. Relations With the People's Republic of China (2009)

U.S. Department of State

Remarks on the Sudan Strategy

Hillary Rodham Clinton
   Secretary of State
Susan E. Rice
   U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations , U.S. Mission to the United Nations
Scott Gration
   Special Envoy to Sudan
Washington, DC
October 19, 2009

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QUESTION: Madame Secretary, can you talk about international contacts that have already been made? And specifically, have you -- how much have the Chinese signaled a willingness to help or not? And secondly, can you talk about any new monies that you're going to commit to this? Are you going to do this with whatever presently is there?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Charlie, I'll have both Susan and Scott add to this. We have had intensive international outreach, both Susan at the UN, Scott in numerous meetings around the world, including one that he convened here in Washington, bringing together the international partners who have either already been involved or we wish to see more involved. During our meetings with the Chinese back in July, I raised it directly, seeking more support and a partnership that would result in some additional opportunities for us to influence the Sudanese Government.

So I'm going to ask Scott first to talk about what he's been doing, because it's extensive, and I'm not sure everybody knows, and then Susan to have the final word on the UN.

SPECIAL ENVOY GRATION: Thank you. We've worked in several venues to get international cooperation. We've put together a group, what we call the Envoy 6, and they include the envoys from the P-5 countries, plus the EU, and we meet regularly and exchange emails and VTCs. And that group has been very important. China and Russia, obviously, are part of that. And we continue to reach out to them on a consistent basis.

We also have a group called the contact group. It grew out of the donors. And we continue to meet with them not only to get the donations, but also to help us with policy and implementation issues. As you know, that -- during the Nevasha discussions in 2005, the troika made up of the UK and Norway were very helpful. We've reconvened that group to help us not only with the implementation of the CPA, but also to help us as we work these negotiations on the sticky points like the census, the elections, and referendum.

So there's a whole large group that includes EGAD countries, that includes neighbors, and it includes an international community that's working very well together.

QUESTION: Well, I don't doubt the willingness in the meetings, but how positive have the Chinese especially been in signaling a willingness to do what you want to do?

SPECIAL ENVOY GRATION: The Chinese have been very helpful. If you look at their objectives in the region, they require stability and security. And so there's a great overlap. And while we might have differences in some of the tactical issues, certainly strategically, we have the same goals. We're working very closely together and the Chinese have been very helpful in providing influence and pressures not only to work the Darfur issue with the proxy war, but also working in the South.

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