[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 45 (Thursday, March 28, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3161-S3162]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 50--RELATIVE TO KOSOVA

  Mr. DOLE (for himself, Mr. Pell, Mr. D'Amato, Mr. Pressler, Mr. 
Levin, and Mr. Feingold) submitted the following concurrent resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                            S. Con. Res. 50

       Whereas the Constitution of the Socialist Federal Republic 
     of Yugoslavia, adopted in 1946 and the amended Yugoslav 
     Constitution adopted in 1974, described the status of Kosova 
     as one of the 8 constituent territorial units of the Yugoslav 
     Federation;
       Whereas the political rights of the Albanian majority in 
     Kosova were curtailed when the Government of Yugoslavia 
     illegally amended the Yugoslav federal constitution without 
     the consent of the people of Kosova on March 23, 1989, 
     revoking Kosova's autonomous status;
       Whereas in 1990, the Parliament and Government of Kosova 
     were abolished by further unlawful amendments to the 
     Constitution of Yugoslavia;
       Whereas in September 1990, a referendum on the question of 
     independence for Kosova was held in which 87 percent of those 
     eligible to participate voted and 99 percent of those voting 
     supported independence for Kosova;
       Whereas in May 1992, a Kosovar national parliament and 
     President, Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, were freely and fairly 
     elected, but were not permitted to assemble in Kosova;
       Wherease according to the State Department Country Reports 
     on Human Rights for 1995, ``police repression continued at a 
     high level against the ethnic Albanians of Kosova * * * and 
     reflected a general campaign to keep [those] who are not 
     ethnic Serbs intimidated and unable to exercise basic human 
     and civil rights'';
       Whereas over 100,000 ethnic Albanians employed in the 
     public sector have been removed from their jobs and replaced 
     by Serbs since 1989;
       Whereas the government in Belgrade has severely restricted 
     the access of ethnic Albanians in Kosova to all levels of 
     education, especially in the Albanian language;
       Whereas the Organization on Security and Cooperation in 
     Europe observers dispatched to Kosova in 1991 were expelled 
     by the government in Belgrade in July 1993, and have not been 
     reinstated as called for in United Nations Security Council 
     Resolution 855 of August 1993;
       Whereas following the departure of such observers, 
     international human rights organizations have documented an 
     increase in abuses;
       Whereas the United Nations announced on February 27, 1995, 
     that Serbia had granted it permission to open a Belgrade 
     office to monitor human rights in Serbia and Kosova;
       Whereas Congress directed the State Department to establish 
     a United States Information Agency (U.S.I.A.) cultural center 
     in Prishtina, Kosova, in section 223 of the Foreign Relations 
     Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993;
       Whereas Secretary of State Warren Christopher announced on 
     February 27, 1996, that Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic has 
     agreed to the establishment of such center and that 
     preparations for the establishment of the center are 
     proceeding;
       Whereas with the signing of the Dayton agreement on Bosnia, 
     future peace in the Balkans hinges largely on a settlement of 
     the status of Kosova; and
       Whereas the President has explicitly warned the Government 
     of Serbia that the United States is prepared to respond in 
     the event of escalated conflict in Kosova caused by Serbia: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that--
       (1) the situation in Kosova must be resolved before the 
     outer wall of sanctions against Serbia is lifted and Serbia 
     is able to return to the international community;
       (2) the human rights of the people of Kosova must be 
     restored to levels guaranteed by international law;
       (3) the United States should support the legitimate claims 
     of the people of Kosova to determine their own political 
     future;
       (4) international observers should be returned to Kosova as 
     soon as possible;
       (5) the elected government of Kosova should be permitted to 
     meet and exercise its legitimate mandate as elected 
     representatives of the people of Kosova;
       (6) all individuals whose employment was terminated on the 
     basis of their ethnicity should be reinstated to their 
     previous positions;
       (7) the education system in Kosova should be reopened to 
     all residents of Kosova regardless of ethnicity and the 
     majority ethnic Albanian population should be allowed to 
     educate its youth in its native tongue;
       (8) progress toward the establishment of a United States 
     Information Agency cultural center in Prishtina, Kosova, is 
     to be commended and the Secretary of State should redouble 
     efforts to open the center as soon as possible; and
       (9) the President should appoint a special envoy to aid in 
     negotiating a resolution to the crisis in Kosova.

  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I rise to submit a concurrent resolution 
regarding human rights in Kosova and in support of resolving the crisis 
in Kosova. I am pleased to be joined by Senator Pell, Senator D'Amato, 
Senator Pressler, Senator Levin and Senator Feingold.
  This resolution is being submitted today in the House by 
Representatives Engel, Molinari, and King. We are submitting this 
resolution because Kosova has been pushed to the sidelines by this 
administration--as well as the previous administration. And, without 
resolving the crisis in Kosova there is little, if any, hope of 
achieving a lasting peace in the Balkans.
  This resolution cites the course of events since 1989, during which 
the Albanian people in Kosova have been denied their fundamental human 
and political rights by the Milosevic regime. The 1995 State Department 
country human rights reports stated the following about the deplorable 
situation in Kosova, and I quote, ``Police repression continued at a 
high level against the ethnic Albanians of Kosova, and reflected a 
general campaign to keep [those] who are not ethnic Serbs intimidated 
and unable to exercise basic human and civil rights.''
  Since martial law was imposed in Kosova more than 7 years ago, 
Albanians have been fired from their jobs, restricted access to all 
levels of education, especially in their own language, denied basic 
political rights, and subjected to severe human rights abuses, 
including torture.

  Among other things, this resolution calls on the Clinton 
administration to maintain the so-called outer wall of sanctions 
against Serbia until the situation in Kosova is resolved, to redouble 
efforts to open a USIA cultural center in Pristina, Kosova, and to 
appoint a special envoy to aid in negotiating a resolution to the 
crisis in Kosova.
  Since the Dayton accords were signed, there are those who claim that 
peace in the Balkans has been achieved. That is wishful thinking. Let 
me be clear: There will be no lasting peace or stability in the Balkans 
unless and until the situation in Kosova has been resolved. Indeed, 
ignoring Kosova could lead to yet another violent conflict that could 
bring in our NATO allies on opposite sides. Therefore, the

[[Page S3162]]

United States must pressure the Milosevic regime diplomatically and 
economically to end its repression of the 2 million Albanians in 
Kosova.
  Mr. President, we must bring Kosova from the back burner to the front 
burner. We need a comprehensive approach to the Balkans which includes 
Kosova. I hope that the submission of this resolution will send a 
message to the administration that it is high time to exercise U.S. 
leadership on this critical matter.
  Mr. PELL. Mr. President, I am pleased to join Senator Dole in 
submitting this resolution on Kosova. Congressman Engel has taken the 
lead in submitting a companion resolution in the House.
  I remain concerned about the situation in Kosova, where the majority 
Albanian population continues to suffer severe human rights abuses. If 
left unchecked, the situation in Kosova could be the spark that ignites 
another powder keg of violence in the former Yugoslavia.
  Since 1989, more than 100,000 ethnic Albanians employed in the public 
sector have been removed from their jobs and replaced by Serbs. The 
Belgrade Government has severely restricted the access of ethnic 
Albanians in Kosova to all levels of education, and has pursued a 
general campaign of intimidation and repression. This country has 
invested a great deal in creating and maintaining peace in Bosnia. Our 
diplomats and our military personnel are to be commended for the fine 
job that they are doing with regard to Bosnia. I am concerned, however, 
that if the situation in Kosova is not resolved, our diplomatic, 
economic, and military investment in Bosnia will be for naught. A 
comprehensive solution to the former Yugoslavia must address Kosova.
  This resolution is designed to focus attention on Kosova--as a key 
component to stability in the region. It expresses the sense of 
Congress that among other things, the situation in Kosova must be 
resolved before the outer wall of sanctions be lifted against Serbia. 
In other words, Serbia would continue to be denied access to 
international financial institution assistance and to be denied full 
diplomatic relations with the United States and its allies pending the 
resolution of Kosova and other issues. There are signs that 
international consensus on maintaining this outer wall is cracking, and 
this resolution is therefore useful in keeping attention focused on 
Kosova. I believe it is important to send a signal to Serbian President 
Milosevic that he cannot hope to bring Serbia back into the 
international community's fold unless and until he agrees to address 
the issue of Kosova.
  The resolution also welcomes the progress that has been made toward 
the establishment of a USIA office in Kosova. As one who sponsored 
legislation several years ago that authorized the creation of such a 
center, I am particularly interested in ensuring that the United States 
establish a presence in Kosova. Secretary Christopher should be 
commended for securing President Milosevic's approval to establish such 
a center.
  The resolution also calls on Serbia to allow international observers 
to return to Kosova, and urges the President to appoint a special envoy 
to help in negotiating a resolution to the Kosova issue.
  I believe it is in our interest to maintain a spotlight on Kosova, 
and I would encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
resolution.

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