THE
PRESIDENT: I just had an extraordinary conversation with fellow citizens
from different faiths, all of who have come to urge our government to
continue to focus on saving lives in Sudan. They agree with thousands of
our citizens -- hundreds of thousands of our citizens -- that genocide
in Sudan is unacceptable.
And there will be rallies across our country to send a message
to the Sudanese government that the genocide must stop. Those rallies
will also be an indication that thousands and hundreds of thousands of
our citizens urge the world to unite with the United States in concerted
action.
We have got AU troops on the ground; those troops need to be
augmented and increased through strong United Nations action. And the
United States strongly supports a U.N. resolution to do that. I believe
it's important for the United States to be involved, and the best way to
be involved with the AU troops is through NATO. I've worked with the
Secretary General of NATO and our allies in NATO to provide a firm
response to the actions that are taking place on the ground. I want the
Sudanese government to understand the United States of America is
serious about solving this problem.
I'm proud of our nation's generosity when it comes to aid, and the
American people ought to be proud of the taxpayer dollars that have gone
to provide much needed aid for those who suffer. But this government
must understand that we expect the aid to get to the people and we
expect there to be a solution to this problem.
There will be rallies all across the country. And for those of you
who are going out to march for justice, you represent the best of our
country. We believe every life is precious, every human being is
important. And the signal you send to the world is a strong signal, and
I welcome your participation. And I want to thank the organizers for
being here.
I want to thank this good man right here -- he sits here next to his
President, and it wasn't all that long ago that he was a slave inside
Sudan. He sits here to represent the thousands of lives who have been
affected by a government that must honor human rights.
And, Simon, I'm proud to have you here as a fellow American; proud to
have you here as a friend.
Thank you all for coming.