[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 115 (Thursday, September 4, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H6803]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              THE SOONER WE GET OUT OF BOSNIA, THE BETTER

  (Mr. PAUL asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, NATO has announced it will now use lethal 
force in Bosnia. NATO, of course, means the United States, both our 
dollars and our troops. Little concern is shown here in Congress as we 
appropriate billions of dollars more for Bosnia with no end in sight.
  Policing this area is an impossible task as NATO interferes with TV 
broadcasts and arresting and trying so-called war criminals. Current 
policy is only leading to an escalation of the conflict. Ethnic hatred 
and border fights have been going on in this region for centuries.
  Mr. Speaker, the United States will not solve these problems. It is 
impossible for us to do so. We are already being blamed by the Bosnians 
as our troops are being attacked with stones and homemade weapons. 
Congress must bear some of the responsibility for the coming policy 
disaster. The President cannot act without funds, funds which only 
Congress can appropriate. Our efforts in Bosnia have nothing to do with 
national security. We have a responsibility to our troops and our 
current policy exposes them to unwarranted danger.
  Congress must defund the Bosnian conflict. The sooner we get out of 
Bosnia, the better.

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