[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 10 (Monday, February 7, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 7, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                    SCHOOL-TO-WORK OPPORTUNITIES ACT

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, I now ask unanimous consent that the 
Senate resume consideration of S. 1361, and that all of the provisions 
of the unanimous consent agreement governing S. 1150 remain in effect, 
and that no amendments be in order to amendment No. 1388.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Senate continued with the consideration of the bill.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who seeks recognition? The Senator from 
Illinois.
  Mr. SIMON. Madam President, I have no objection. Senator Kennedy's 
staff has informed me what the Senator from Iowa suggests is correct, 
that that has been worked out with Senator Kennedy. I am pleased to 
accommodate the Senator from Iowa once again.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. I thank my colleague very much.
  Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. HATCH. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. HATCH. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that my remarks 
be considered as in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Madam President, the shocking deaths of 66 innocent people in a 
marketplace in Sarajevo compels us to address once again the situation 
of the former Yugoslavia.
  I am deeply disappointed by the reaction of the Clinton 
administration. The President's spokespeople have talked about entering 
another round of pointless consultations with our allies. None has 
indicated that this Nation is committed to taking action.
  The President himself said that he hoped the shocking nature of this 
atrocity would finally compel the two sides to negotiate a settlement. 
But the obvious point is that the Serbian side--which perpetrated this 
atrocity--is interested not in peace but in conquest.
  I have repeatedly spoken and written on this issue during the last 3 
years. In speaking today, I have a tragic sense of deja vu.
  After similar atrocities in the past, the Bush and Clinton 
administrations have always said that we have no moral duty to respond. 
They said that U.S. interests were not involved, that intervention 
would lead to a quagmire, and that our allies had troops on the ground 
who would be imperiled.
  I believe both administrations suffered from moral and strategic 
myopia. We can help protect innocent people without putting U.S. troops 
on the ground. We must do it now.
  There are three issues--whether we send arms, whether we employ air 
strikes, and whether we send troops.
  There will be no peace in Bosnia until the Serbian aggressors are 
defeated militarily. And that cannot happen until we lift the U.N. arms 
embargo.
  Many observers argue that we should not be involved in any way. The 
real tragedy is that we already are intervening--but on the wrong side. 
The U.N. arms embargo deprives the Moslems and the Croatians in Bosnia 
of the means to defend themselves against the Serbians who inherited 
the vast military establishment of the former Yugoslavia.
  We must enable the Moslems and Croatians to defend themselves. It is 
time to lift the embargo, to provide the victims of aggression with the 
means to fight back.
  If that requires a withdrawal of the troops of our allies, so be it. 
If the risk to those troops prevents us from lifting the embargo, it's 
time for those troops to go home. Madam President, I urge the 
administration to make that clear to our allies.
  We should also conduct air strikes on the Serbian artillery positions 
that have rained down fire on Sarajevo and other Bosnian cities. The 
Air Force is confident that these strikes can be conducted at minimal 
risk and that they can succeed. The United Nations has asked NATO to 
grant authority for air strikes.
  If we lift the embargo and if we conduct limited air strikes, there 
would be no need to send U.S. troops. Croatians and Moslems in Bosnia 
are ready and willing to fight to defend their homeland and their 
families. We do not need to take their place. The answer is to give 
them the arms to fight by lifting the embargo and send Serbia a signal 
by undertaking air strikes. We do not have to risk our own men and 
women in order to respond effectively.
  President Clinton last year declared that these cities would be safe 
havens. As we saw this weekend, they are neither havens nor safe. The 
President's policy of endless consultations has failed. It's time for 
the United States to lead and to act, regardless of the positions taken 
by the European powers.
  I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that if the administration 
would aggressively and energetically tell the European powers we need 
to change this policy, our European friends would go along with it. I 
think everybody is disgusted with what has happened, and continuing 
threats and withdrawal is not cutting the mustard.
  Madam President, I have been very concerned about it. I have been 
calling for this type of action for a long time. I do not want American 
troops on the ground in any circumstance, but we certainly should not 
let one side have all the advantage over the other while waiting for 
some sort of negotiated peace to occur. It is just not going to happen. 
So we have to lift the embargo and allow the Moslems and Croats to be 
armed and conduct limited air strikes to let the Serbians know we are 
sick of what they are doing to these innocent people in Sarajevo and 
other areas.
  Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The absence of a quorum has been suggested. 
The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. PELL. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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