[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 191 (Monday, December 4, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H13872-H13874]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           ILL-ADVISED MISSION IN BOSNIA SHOULD BE ABANDONED

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of May 
12, 1995, the gentleman from Missouri [Mr. Skelton] is recognized for 
60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, Friday evening, the Vice President was on 
ABC News ``Nightline.'' In his comments, the Vice President stated that 
the task of bringing peace to Bosnia would be done at a minimal risk to 
American troops. This would be true, but for one provision to which the 
administration has signed up: namely, the guaranteeing and coordinating 
of the arming and training of one of the belligerents.
  According to testimony by Secretary of State Warren Christopher, our 
Government policy is supervising--that is, guaranteeing and 
coordinating--the arming and training of Bosnian Moslem forces. This is 
a flawed and dangerous policy. It gives the appearance that we favor 
one side of this bitter internal struggle over another. It makes our 
Government appear to be a combatant. We cannot be both a combatant and 
a peacekeeper.
  This policy of arming and training Bosnian Moslems--even through a 
third party, but guaranteed and supervised by us--concerns me greatly. 
Three points are to be considered:
  First, already, there exists a parity between the warring factions, 
the Serbs on the one hand and the Croat-Moslem Federation on the other. 
Note the recent battlefield successes by the Federation. Further, the 
Moslems have been receiving arms by way of Croatia for some time.
  Second, our allies are not in favor of arming and training the Moslem 
forces. The French and British, in particular, are against it. This was 
pointed out in news reports Thursday morning.
  Third, the arming and training of the Moslem forces, quoting the Vice 
President: ``we are going to see that it happens * * * we commit to 
making sure that is going to happen.''
  Mr. Speaker, this is a flawed policy. The Vice President concedes 
that it would be wrong for the American troops to directly arm and 
train the 

[[Page H 13873]]
Bosnian Moslems, as it would destroy the even-handedness and perception 
of even-handedness of our troops in the field. I say that the United 
States guaranteeing and coordinating this effort is just as bad. Having 
America in charge of this effort--having other countries or other 
persons contracted to do the job--still destroys the even-handedness 
and perception of even-handedness of our Americans in uniform. This 
policy has red, white, and blue stamped all over it. This policy paints 
each American soldier with a bulls'-eye target.
  In order for peacekeeping to work, there must be trust--trust of the 
former belligerents in the impartiality of the peacekeepers. This trust 
and confidence will not exist so long as our Government pursues the 
policy of supervising the arming and training of the Moslems. It is one 
thing, in the words of Secretary of Defense William Perry, to ``be the 
meanest dog in town.'' It is another not to have to fight at all.
  The U.S. Army Field Manual, regarding peacekeeping, states: 
``Peacekeeping requires an impartial, even-handed approach.'' Our 
National Security Committee heard testimony from retired generals and 
others who stressed the need for peacekeepers to be neutral, to be 
even-handed.

  Soon, our American soldiers, some 20,000 of them, will arrive in 
Bosnia as peacekeepers between the three warring sides: the Croats, the 
Bosnian Serbs, and the Bosnian Moslems. A few weeks ago, in a White 
House meeting, Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbot told me of plans 
for the U.S. Government to arm and train the Bosnian Moslems. Being 
concerned with this policy, I wrote a letter to the President on 
October 31, criticizing this stance. After the peace agreement was 
signed, I wrote another letter on November 22. After I, along with 
several others, criticized this plan--which would clearly put our 
troops in danger by destroying their required impartiality--a new plan 
to arm and train then appeared. This new arrangement is one of farming 
out, contracting out, laundering out the task to third parties.
  There is nothing in the Dayton peace agreement, initialed by the 
three belligerents, that requires the United States to arm and train 
anyone. This slightly altered policy still violates the required 
impartiality of the United States, and that lack of impartiality will 
be transferred to our soldiers serving as peacekeepers.
  Ordinary military risk is one thing; inviting vengeance against our 
troops is another.
  Those who came up with this wrong-headed policy should learn the 
wisdom of the Missouri Ozarks: ``Those who aid my enemy become my 
enemy.'' The Serbs will look upon American troops as enemies and the 
Moslems will expect favors.
  Bosnia is a snake pit of anger, hatred, and vengeance. We are putting 
our troops in a snake pit while we are angering half the snakes. This 
policy could well be a death warrant for scores of American men and 
women in uniform. Taking sides in previous peacekeeping efforts--1983 
in Beirut and 1993 in Mogadishu--brought tragedy to Americans in 
uniform. We should learn from the past.
  The President agreed to furnish 20,000 troops for peacekeeping--not 
20,000 targets for vengeance.
  Remember, this is the Balkans, the scene of centuries of hate, 
centuries of killing, and centuries of vengeance. I, for one, see no 
reason for American troops to be made victims of vengeance because of 
this wrong-headed policy of arming and training the Moslems.
  As a matter of fact, our troops have not been forewarned of the 
additional security risk that our policy could bring. On December 1, I 
wrote the Secretary of Defense a letter, urging his Department to issue 
memorandums to the soldiers to be on extra alert, as this policy puts 
them at higher risk.
  I understand the need for America to assume a leadership role in the 
world. I understand the need for America to be the leader of NATO. But 
I do not understand why American troops will be inserted into this war-
torn country as both peacekeepers and combatants. The credibility of 
American soldiers as impartial peacekeepers will be lost.
  I urge this administration to abandon this policy, as it will 
undoubtedly bring needless loss of life and injury to our fine troops 
in Bosnia.
  I include for the Record my letters dated October 31, November 22, 
and December 1.

                                    Congress of the United States,


                                     House of Representatives,

                                 Washington, DC, October 31, 1995.
     The President,
     The White House, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. President: Please know that I very much want to 
     help you in supporting the promising Bosnian peace 
     initiative. However, I have great concerns about the effort 
     to equip and train the Bosnian Muslims, especially while U.S. 
     troops are operating in Bosnia.
       I believe the ``equip and train'' effort corrupts the 
     implementation force (IFOR) as a neutral peace force, and 
     needlessly places the lives of American troops at risk. The 
     effort will cause America to be perceived as a party to the 
     conflict in the eyes of the Bosnian Serbs, their friends, and 
     their allies. There will be no avoiding it, even if an 
     attempt is made to keep the effort separate from IFOR. The 
     message received in the region will be clear: American troops 
     are not in Bosnia to implement a peace agreement, but rather 
     to protect the Bosnian Muslims.
       The purpose of the ``equip and train'' effort is to 
     establish military parity. However, given what has happened 
     in Bosnia over the last three months, I question the 
     assertion that a military imbalance exists. On the contrary, 
     I suggest a regional military balance has existed for 
     sometime. Furthermore, I sense that the warring factions have 
     grown weary of prolonging the fight.
       We are walking down the dangerous path toward an arms race 
     in Bosnia just at the time when American troops will attempt 
     to bring peace to an area suffering from a savage war. Will 
     not the Russians respond to the cries of their ethnic 
     cousins, the Bosnian Serbs, who fear being driven from their 
     homes in the future by a menacing Bosnian Muslim force? Our 
     effort to equip and train Bosnian Muslims could bring more 
     war to the region.
       No matter how we try to separate it from IFOR, the effort 
     to equip and train will have ``RED, WHITE, AND BLUE'' written 
     all over it. This would jeopardize the safety of U.S. forces. 
     The Serb partisans will have an incentive to make American 
     troops pay the price, and American troops will become the 
     object of Serb anger and acts of vengeance.
       Therefore, I believe that we should defer any effort to 
     equip and train until IFOR departs the country. My suggestion 
     keeps faith with the Bosnian Muslims without needlessly 
     jeopardizing the lives of American troops.
       Again, Mr. President, I want to help you bring peace to 
     Bosnia. But I would find it difficult to support U.S. 
     participation in IFOR should we embark on the dangerous path 
     of equipping and training Bosnians Muslims.
           Sincerely,
                                                      Ike Skelton,
     Member of Congress.
                                                                    ____

                                    Congress of the United States,


                                     House of Representatives,

                                Washington, DC, November 22, 1995.
     The President,
     The White House, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. President: Now that a Bosnian peace agreement has 
     been reached, our attention turns to the impending deployment 
     of American troops to Bosnia as peacekeepers. With the 
     proposal for American military participation in the 
     implementation force, it is critical that Congress have the 
     answer to the question I have raised with you and members of 
     your Administration over the past few weeeks. The question 
     is:
       Will the U.S. government or any of its allies supply 
     training, armaments or equipment, either directly or 
     indirectly, to any of the belligerents or former belligerents 
     between now and the end of our troop involvement in Bosnia?
       I ask the question because we have had the sad experience 
     of American forces being viewed as favoring one side over 
     another in previous conflicts, resulting in American injuries 
     and deaths. I refer to Beirut in 1983 and Mogadishu in 1993. 
     This is especially important in light of the news report on 
     the BBC this morning that the Bosnian Serb leadership is 
     sharply divided on this agreement.
       I would appreciate hearing from you.
           Very truly yours,
                                                      Ike Skelton,
     Member of Congress.
                                                                    ____

                                    Congress of the United States,


                                     House of Representatives,

                                 Washington, DC, December 1, 1995.
     Hon. William J. Perry,
     The Secretary of Defense, Washington, DC.
       Dear Secretary Perry: If the U.S. Department of State 
     insists on arming and training the Croat-Muslim Federation--
     with an American guarantee and coordination of the effort, as 
     testified to by Secretary Christopher yesterday--will the 
     20,000 American soldiers in the Bosnia-Herzegovina region be 
     forewarned of this additional security risk? Will they be 
     informed of the possibility of vengeful acts by the Serbs, or 
     of hostilities from Muslims expecting but denied favorable 
     treatment?
       This is a major security issue. I urge the Department of 
     Defense to issue memoranda to each soldier to be on extra 
     alert, as this State Department policy will put them at 
     higher risk. 

[[Page H 13874]]

       Please respond at your earliest convenience. Thank you.
           Sincerely,
                                                      Ike Skelton,
     Member of Congress.

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