[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 78 (Thursday, May 11, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H4869-H4870]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                                 HAITI

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Washington [Mr. Metcalf] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. METCALF. Mr. Speaker, I rise with great concern over the 
administration's action in Haiti. On March 31, 1995, President Clinton 
turned over control of the Multi National Force [MNF] in Haiti, to the 
United Nations, under the auspice of the U.N. Mission in Haiti [UNMIH]. 
UNMIH, although still under American command, differs from the previous 
U.S. operation in two respects. The net effect of these changes is a 
U.S. commander and U.S. forces under the control of the U.N. Special 
Representative, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi and a U.N. mandate for rules of 
engagement [ROE] which dictate the use of force by U.S. troops.
   [[Page H4870]] Mr. Speaker, in his report to the U.N. Security 
Council on January 17, 1995, Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali 
stated; ``UNMIH will consist of civilian, military and civilian police 
components under the control of my special representative, Mr. Lakhdar 
Brahimi.'' This statement by the Secretary makes it clear he expects 
that General Kinser will work under the direction of the United 
Nations. In his report to Congress on February 1, 1995, President 
Clinton indirectly acknowledged this by stating ``the UNMIH commander 
will work for the U.N. Special Representative of the Secretary 
General.''
  The administration, Mr. Speaker, will respond to my concern by 
stating that General Kinzer will have operational control of all forces 
in Haiti. This is a considerable improvement over the situation in 
Somali, but it is still not good enough. We all remember Somalia, where 
United States soldiers were shot down and dragged through the streets 
while under a foreign command, in an event forever etched in American 
minds.
  Mr. Speaker, my concern is best illustrated by the current situation 
in Bosnia. Lt. Gen. Rupert Smith has the same operational control in 
Bosnia that Gen. Kinzer has in Haiti. Serbian gunners attacked Butmir 
last weekend killing 10 and wounding 50. Mr. Speaker this area was well 
within the exclusion zone. Lt. Gen. Smith requested NATO support 
enforcing the U.N. resolution protecting Sarajevo by ordering air 
strikes. With the planes in the air U.N. Special Representative Akashi 
rejected the request. Mr. Speaker, I ask you how can Lt. Gen. Smith 
protect his troops and their commitments when his military judgment is 
overruled by a U.N. representative.
  Mr. Speaker, operational control is simply not good enough. We must 
take additional steps to assure General Kinzer and our troops will not 
be overruled by the U.N. civilian command when ordering military 
action.
  The second concern I have deals with the revised rules of engagement 
under UNMIH. The rules of engagement approved by the Security Council 
are significantly more restrictive than the rules under U.S. command of 
the Multi National Force. The rules of engagement of UNMIH were 
mandated by the United Nations; not by the United States. Any changes 
to the current rules of engagement must go through the Secretary 
General and the Security Council, not through Gen. Kinzer or any other 
American. Mr. Speaker, how can the administration assert U.S. command 
of our forces when policy is evolving not out of the Pentagon, but the 
United Nations.
  The record of U.N. ``peacekeeping operations'', Mr. Speaker is poor 
at best. The situation in Bosnia illustrates multiple scenarios were 
operational control was called into question by the U.N. Special 
Representative. Moreover, we should never be forced to accept U.N. 
mandates for rules of engagement that place unreasonable restrictions 
on our forces. This is not what the House intended under the National 
Security Revitalization Act. We must take action to restore the 
integrity and safety of our forces. We must work quickly to protect our 
forces from the action taken by the administration, before we are 
forced to accept another tragedy at the hands of the United Nations.


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