[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 204 (Tuesday, December 19, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2398-E2399]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 REPORT ON RESOLUTION PROVIDING FOR DEBATE AND CONSIDERATION OF THREE 
     MEASURES RELATING TO UNITED STATES TROOP DEPLOYMENTS IN BOSNIA

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                               speech of

                         HON. RONALD D. COLEMAN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 13, 1995

  Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, we are facing an important and difficult 
moment: Should we send United States troops into Bosnia? Deploying U.S. 
troops to foreign territory and possibly into harm's way is always a 
difficult decision.
  There is, however, one compelling rationale for United States 
participation in the international peacekeeping force; Bosnia has been 
the victim of international aggression and of crime against humanity 
that the Bosnian Serbs, supported by the Milosevic regime in Belgrade, 
have committed against hundreds of thousands of predominately Moslem 
Bosnians.
  The American people are rightly outraged by the atrocities suffered 
by the Bosnian people: mass executions, ethnic cleansing, concentration 
camps, rape and terror, disease and starvation. Numerous accounts 
report on the slaughter of innocent civilians in Srebrenica. Peace is 
the only way to end the terrible human toll of this year. Now, with the 
official signing of the peace agreement in Paris this week, the warring 
factions have agreed to peace and the principles of the settlement. We 
finally have a chance to end the violence that has been so perniciously 
directed at specific groups because of their faith.
  President Bill Clinton, and U.S. diplomatic effort brought the 
parties to the peace table. The progress we have made toward peace has 
been the result of American leadership. NATO's bombing campaign, led by 
American pilots, stopped Serb attacks against the safe areas. In 
Dayton, our single-minded pursuit of peace helped the parties reach an 
overall settlement. The Presidents of Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia have 
made a serious commitment to peace. We must help them to make it work.
  After 4 years of war, a credible international military presence is 
needed to give the parties confidence to live up to their agreement and 
breathing room to begin reconciliation and rebuilding. NATO, proven 
strong and effective, is that military presence. And the U.S. is the 
heart of NATO. If we fail to do our part in implementation, we would 
undermine our leadership of NATO. We would weaken the alliance itself. 
We would also undercut the chance for peace in Bosnia to the detriment 
of our own interests. At this pivotal point in time, our U.S. troops 
and our Commander in Chief deserve our complete support and confidence.
  President Clinton has clearly defined the objectives of the 
implementation force [I-For] and stated our exact role in the 
international peacekeeping mission. I-For's mission is limited to 
assisting the parties in executing the military aspects of the peace 
agreement. These efforts, in turn, will help create a secure 
environment that will enable the people of Bosnia to get on with the 
job of rebuilding. To 

[[Page E2399]]
ensure a stable Bosnia, we must be committed, publicly and resolutely, 
to the I-For mission, and most importantly to our United States troops.

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