[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 83 (Thursday, May 18, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S6839]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      MORE SHELLS FALL ON SARAJEVO

  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, on Monday more than 1,000 shells fell on 
Sarajevo--5 people were killed and 25 wounded. Yesterday Bihac was 
being shelled. Today a Sarajevo marketplace was hit by a mortar shell. 
The response to these attacks on U.N. designated safe havens reflects 
the United Nation's latest de facto policy: Blame the Bosnian 
Government for trying to defend its people, and dispatch NATO planes to 
buzz overhead. Meanwhile contact group negotiators are desperately 
trying to sweeten a deal for Serbian President Milosevic.
  Let us face it, the protection of U.N. safe havens has become a 
fraud. The enforcement of weapons exclusion zones has also become a 
fraud. The United Nations is not fooling anyone even with its blame 
both sides rhetoric.
  According to news reports, the United Nations is considering mandate 
reduction for its forces in Bosnia. In my view that has already 
happened, and without a U.N. Security Council vote.
  The General Accounting Office recently released a study on U.N. 
operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina prepared at my request. In painstaking 
detail the report explains how the United Nations is not doing the job 
it was tasked to do in Bosnia.
  The GAO report confirms what many of us already knew: that the U.N. 
operation in the former Yugoslavia is ineffective, that UNPROFOR is not 
carrying out its mandates. It also indicates that UNPROFOR has lost its 
credibility and has impeded NATO's ability to carry out air strikes in 
defense of U.N. designated safe havens and U.N. forces, facts that are 
very clear in light of events over the last 2 days in Bosnia.
  I would remind my colleagues that even though there are no Americans 
participating in UNPROFOR, the United States has been subsidizing this 
failed endeavor for several years now, to the tune of more than $1.1 
billion in direct support and $1.4 billion more in indirect support.
  It is high time that we review our support for this flawed policy. 
The facts are clear: This operation is a failure, an expensive failure. 
It seems to me that increasingly UNPROFOR's real reason for being is to 
prevent a change in policy, specifically to prevent the lifting of the 
arms embargo on Bosnia.
  Mr. President, I simply urge all of my colleagues to read the GAO's 
report. I believe that after reading it, one would be hard pressed to 
argue that this operation is worth Bosnia being denied its fundamental 
right to self-defense.
  I say, along with Senator Lieberman of Connecticut, it is our hope 
that we will be able to vote on lifting the arms embargo in the Senate 
some time in June. It seems to me that everything is falling apart and 
we are getting less and less response from the United Nations. I must 
say I have no quarrel with the U.N. Protection Forces, the men and 
women there. They are certainly exhibiting courage and bravery. But it 
seems to me that the time has come for a total review of our policy. I 
suggest to the President of the United States that he provide the 
leadership in this review and that we do it as quickly as possible.
  I thank my colleagues and I yield the floor.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I want to comment on Senator Dole's 
remarks on the floor of the Senate today with reference to violence in 
the United States in the mass media of America and its role in terms of 
violence. I want to commend the Senator for making the point. Those two 
American citizens, one Democrat and one Republican, have no idea what a 
service they are doing for the people of this country, if they can just 
get the media to understand that they, too, have a responsibility. They 
have lots of freedom. But where is all the violence coming from? We are 
making excuses and talking about it all the time, as if Government is 
to blame and this is to blame. The truth of the matter is people are 
just seeing so much violence, and they are outdoing each other to show 
us a different and new way that is becoming part of some of American 
citizens' lives. They see it, and they do not have regard for life.
  Mr. DOLE. The children see it.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Yes. Then you have 14-year-olds committing the acts 
they have seen on television 50 times. Sooner or later--we cannot 
legislate in that area. It is very difficult. Sooner or later we have 
to come to our senses, and I commend the Senator for his remarks.
  Mr. DOLE. I thank the Senator.
  

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