[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 188 (Tuesday, November 28, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H13667]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     SUPPORT THE BOSNIA PEACE PLAN

  (Mr. RICHARDSON asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, for the past 4 years Bosnia has 
witnessed atrocities not seen on the European Continent since the 
horrors of World War II. Among these are concentration camps, women and 
girls raped as a tool of war, documented instances of mass murder, and 
the nightmare of ethnic cleansing becoming a reality.
  A quarter of a million people have been killed in this war, many of 
them defenseless civilians. This number includes women and children. 
Two million people, about half the population, have been forced from 
their homes and are now suffering the miserable life of refugees.
  For 4 years war has raged in Bosnia, and the United States has 
rightly stayed out of the war. The United States could not force peace 
on the warring factions. Now the situation is different. Due primarily 
to American leadership, peace has been brokered between the war-weary 
combatants.
  Mr. Speaker, let us say thanks that the war and the killing has 
ended. Genocide has stopped and the war is over because of American 
leadership. We should thank the President, Secretary of State 
Christopher, Madeline Albright, Richard Holbrook, and the man that 
probably had the most to do with this peace, Robert Frazier, who gave 
his life to this process. I would also like to particularly acknowledge 
the key role played by National Security Adviser Tony Lake in securing 
the peace agreement. The peace process was initiated during his trip to 
Europe in late July.
  The United States now has the historic opportunity to help Bosnia 
return to normalcy and bring stability to this troubled region.

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