[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 108 (Monday, August 8, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 8, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                 TRAGIC UNITED STATES POLICY IN RWANDA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida [Mr. Mica] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, history should record the incredible human 
slaughter and genocide that has occurred in Rwanda.
  We say ``Never again, never in our time'' but these phrases are all 
meaningless when it comes to Rwanda.
  The United States and the world should not forget the errors of 
Rwanda. We cannot as human beings turn our back on what happened in 
Rwanda.
  If we fail to record the actions and more importantly the inactions 
that accounted for the deaths of nearly three-fourth of a million 
people, we do ourselves and history an injustice.
  How the world sat idly by as this destruction of men, women and 
children--all God's human beings--took place should be a cause for 
concern.
  How the United States formulates its foreign policy, contributes 
billions to the United Nations and formerly helped to establish a 
policy for world peace should be carefully examined.
  We would be remiss if someone in this body--the United States 
Congress--did not rise and question the policy and course our 
Government followed relating to Rwanda.
  There is no question that the United States' policy in Somalia was a 
disaster. What started as a humanitarian mission became a nation-
building experiment and turned into a protracted foreign policy 
disaster.
  Biting from his incredible fumbling, this administration put its head 
in the sand when trouble began in Rwanda this past April.
  Let me if I may trace the history of this tragedy--let me also if I 
may trace the history of our failed policy:
  On April 6, a plane with presidents of Rwanda, Burundi was shot down. 
We knew then the potential for violence, terror, and mass killings.
  On May 11, the United States criticized a U.N. plan to send 5,500 
multinational soldiers into Rwanda to protect refugees and assist 
relief workers. No United States troops were to be involved.

  U.S. Opposes Plan for U.N. Force in Rwanda--New York Times, May 12, 
                                  1994

  On May 16, the United States forced the U.N. to delay plans to send 
5,500 troops to end violence in Rwanda.

 U.S. Forces U.N. To Cut Off Sending Troops to Rwanda--New York Times, 
                              May 17, 1994

  On May 25, U.N. Secretary General Boutrous Boutrous-Ghali angrily 
condemned the United States and other nations for not intervening in 
Rwanda.
  ``I have tried,'' he said, by writing to more than 30 heads of state 
after the U.S. and other Western countries made it clear they would not 
get involved. ``I begged them to send troops * * * It is a scandal.''
  Finally on June 6, the U.N. Security Council voted to deploy 5,500 
troops after the U.S. agreed that troops should be used to protect 
displaced people and relief workers helping them.
  Justin Forsyth, Oxfam's senior policy advisor said, ``During the past 
months of slaughter, the United States has been the key player in 
halting action on Rwanda, creating a series of excuses and inventing 
problems that do not exist.''
  On June 9, the Clinton administration instructed United States 
spokespersons not to describe deaths in Rwanda as genocide.
  Today, we have 2,200 United States troops in Rwanda.
  Regardless of what the Clinton administration says, genocide occurred 
in Rwanda.
  Regardless of what the administration says, our policy in Rwanda was 
a disaster and failed to stem a disaster.
  I do not advocate the use of U.S. troops--nor was it necessary from 
the beginning to involve U.S. troops.
  What was necessary was for the United States to provide leadership in 
the United Nations and in the world.
  We provide billions of tax dollars to the United Nations but we now 
provide nothing in the way of leadership.
  This is a sad story and record for the United States, the United 
Nations, and the world, and most tragically for the lost people of 
Rwanda.

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