You can thank Richardson for the Darfur ceasefire

Governor Bill Richardson (D-NM) just bolstered his foreign policy credentials ahead of his eventual announcement of whether he will run for president in 2008.  Richardson is responsible for brokering a 60-day ceasefire in Darfur:

The Sudanese government and rebels in the war-ravaged western region ofDarfur rebels have agreed a ceasefire as a first step towards endingthe violence that has affected millions of people, a senior US officialsaid in the capital, Khartoum.

Thegovernment has also agreed to ease entry visa requirements for aidworkers, and stop the requirement for exit visas, Governor BillRichardson of New Mexico State, who has been in Sudan on a four-dayvisit, said. He has been leading a delegation from the US advocacygroup, the Save Darfur Coalition.

"President[Omar El-] Bashir agreed to the start of a peace process that includesa 60-day cessation of hostilities," Richardson told reporters. "Allparties must agree to the ceasefire - the rebel leaders I spoke to saidthey would. A ceasefire is a critical step toward ending bloodshed inDarfur."

America for Richardson, a group trying to convince the Governor to run for president, is obviously thrilled by this display of leadership.  "He's making our job easy for us," said Jeff Gulko, a Richardson supporter.  On the New Mexico Governor's web site, his staff issued a press release that detailed the ceasefire agreement.

This is not the first time Richardson has helped broker a landmark agreement.  Richardson helped negotiate the 1994 Agreed Framework, an agreement with North Korea during the Clinton Administration.  Had it not been for that agreement, North Korea would have as many as 50 plutonium-based nuclear weapons today.  No new nuclear weapons were created along the Korean Peninsula during the remainder of the Clinton presidency.

By far, Richardson has more foreign policy experience than any other '08 Democratic candidate -- even including Joe Biden.

Comments

[The Mexican]

Thanks, this is best news I've read today. A lot of socialist magazines were railing against US intervention, since our ethos has not only deteriorated more from Iraq but also been tainted in so many's eyes for ill-justifications to invade, and lack of reform ethics in policy and beaucracy involved in overseeing the nascent Iraq's infrastructure. I'm so thankful someone has finally been able to help, even in the smallest of ways, bring some peace to those blood-soaked lands. This really is great news!