[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 200 (Friday, December 15, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S18697-S18698]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION BILL--ANTIPERSONNEL LANDMINES

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I understand this afternoon at some point, 
we will have a vote on whether to proceed to the conference report on 
Department of Defense authorization. I am strongly opposed to several 
provisions in that bill. I will not ask the clerks to read the bill in 
full when it comes up, as I could. It is my way of saying ``Merry 
Christmas'' to them, I suppose, and to the rest of the staff. But I 
will express very strong concerns about it and, of course, will ask for 
a recorded vote on the issue of proceeding.
  I do not want to hold up the issue, though, of course and as soon as 
it comes over here--I see the distinguished chairman, my good friend 
from South Carolina on the floor--I would not want to hold him up.
  Mr. LEAHY. There is one issue that I intend to talk about at 
considerable length. This body voted by better than a 2 to 1 margin, 
nearly 3 to 1 margin, to put some limitation on antipersonnel 
landmines.
  For some reason a provision that was not even considered by either 
the House or the Senate on antipersonnel landmines ended up in the 
Defense authorization bill, which would have the effect of undermining 
my amendment. It is an absolute disregard and repudiation of the intent 
of the Senate.
  At a time when every member of the military is talking about the 
danger to our men and women in Bosnia from landmines, at a time when 
the President of the United States talks about the potential casualties 
from landmines, at a time when every press report talks about the 
potential of landmine casualties in Bosnia, at a time when virtually 
every Member of this body and the other body are concerned about the 
potential American casualties from landmines, we let somebody from the 
Pentagon write in a provision in the DOD bill, a provision that was 
never voted on by the House, never voted on by the Senate, never 
considered by either body suddenly showed up in the conference report. 
A provision that would ensure that the plague of landmines continues 
unabated. 

[[Page S18698]]

  I call on the Pentagon, out of a sense of morality, at least, to stop 
the hypocrisy of saying they worry about our people being injured by 
landmines, and then do nothing to stop their use around the world. And 
it is not only our troops who are threatened, it is hundreds of 
millions of people who are killed and maimed by these indiscriminate 
weapons every day. Over 26,000 people every year, and most are innocent 
civilians.
  This, Mr. President, is a landmine. It is an antipersonnel landmine. 
It has been disarmed. If it were active, with just the slightest 
pressure it would take my arm and most of my face off.
  There are millions of landmines in Bosnia, many of which are made of 
plastic and virtually impossible to detect, and others are designed to 
spring up and explode at waist level, sending out horrendous shrapnel 
that would disembowel or cut in half somebody within 50 or 100 feet.
  When we vote on the Department of Defense authorization bill, we 
ought to send a very clear message to the Pentagon that it is not 
enough to say you want to protect our men and women when they go in 
harm's way on peacekeeping of rescue missions or anything else. It is 
time to say we will take steps here, to show leadership, to set an 
example, to stop this senseless use of landmines worldwide.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak out of 
order for not to exceed 7 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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