[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 167 (Thursday, October 26, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S15747]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         REPORTS OF WAR CRIMES

  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, today's Washington Post reveals shocking 
news about what happened to the men of Srebrenica after this so-called 
safe area fell to Bosnian Serb forces in July. Twelve thousand men from 
this U.N.-designated safe area tired to flee to Bosnian Government-held 
territory and more than half were brutally butchered by forces under 
the command of Gen. Ratko Mladic.
  Yesterday's Christian Science Monitor reported that Serb officers--
from Serbia--actively participated in the massacre of Moslems from 
Srebrenica.
  No doubt about it, General Mladic and his forces are directly 
responsible for these war crimes. But, these reports beg the question: 
What was the role of the Yugoslav Army in this attack on Srebrenica and 
the subsequent massacre of Moslems. And more importantly, what was 
Slobodan Milosevic's role in these savage war crimes?
  Reportedly Mladic is often in Belgrade--where he coordinates with 
senior Serb officers, including the Chief of Staff of the Yugoslav 
Army. The Yugoslav Army has continued to actively assist Bosnian Serb 
forces. And Bosnian Serb and Serb air defenses are integrated.
  The bottom line is that the Congress--and the American people--need 
to hear what the administration knows about the relationship between 
Bosnian Serb forces and the Yugoslav Army, and the relationship between 
Mladic and Milosevic. Have we been told everything the administration 
knows about Milosevic's possible culpability in this hideous war crime?
  Frankly, I am highly skeptical that the buck stops at General Mladic. 
In any event, these questions need to be answered by the administration 
now.
  Next week, the proximity talks will begin in Dayton and Serbian 
President Slobodan Milosevic will attend. We need to know whether we 
are rolling out the red carpet for a war criminal. We need to know who 
the administration is dealing with--the butcher of the Balkans or the 
peacemaker of the Balkans?

  Furthermore, the President should publicly commit his administration 
to ensuring that these war crimes will not be swept under the rug as 
part of the price of peace settlement. If Milosevic is responsible for 
war crimes, he should be held accountable--even if this complicates the 
peace negotiations.
  Mr. President, if the administration fails to effectively address the 
matter of war crimes in the former Yugoslavia, the Congress will. The 
fiscal year 1996 foreign operations bill includes an amendment I 
offered on the Senate floor which would prohibit bilateral assistance 
to any country that provides sanctuary to individuals indicted the U.N. 
War Crimes Tribunal on Yugoslavia. It also instructs U.S. 
representatives in multilateral institutions to vote against aid to any 
country that provides sanctuary to indicted war criminals.
  The United States is the leader of the free world--this requires not 
only political, but moral leadership. We cannot repeat the United 
Nations's grievous error of looking the other way when confronted with 
enormous crimes against humanity.
  Mr. President, I reserve the remainder of my leader time.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have 30 
seconds to thank the majority leader for his statement.
  Mr. DOLE. I yield 30 seconds to the Senator from Minnesota.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. I thank the majority leader for his statement made on 
these war crimes, these atrocities. I do not believe that those who 
committed these crimes should be able to get away with it. I think it 
would be a terrible mistake for the world.
  I appreciate the power of what the majority leader says. I very much 
appreciate his focus on the war crimes.

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