[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 52 (Friday, May 1, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4033-S4034]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         EXPLANATION OF ABSENCE

  Mr. KYL. Mr. President, I would like to take this personal privilege 
of explaining why I was not able to vote last night on an 
extraordinarily important issue before the Senate; namely, the 
expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO.
  The vote, fortunately, was 80 to 19, meaning that the United States 
has gone on record as supporting the inclusion of the Czech Republic, 
Hungary, and Poland as members of this important alliance.
  When the debate started, I provided remarks which expressed my strong 
sentiments in support of that expansion. Throughout the debate, as 
amendments were offered, I spoke to several of them, attempting to 
defeat amendments that I thought would be detrimental to the expansion 
of NATO and to our mission in NATO.
  Fortunately, one of the first amendments adopted was an amendment 
which I offered, which helped us to present a strategic vision in the 
discussions that would be ongoing with respect to the development of a 
new strategic vision for NATO that reflects the beliefs of the U.S. 
Senate and reflects our belief that the original purposes of NATO and 
the original strategic vision should play a large role in animating our 
assistance, with our fellow NATO members, in devising a new strategic 
mission.
  I say all of that as a predicate to state in the most emphatic terms 
that

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had I been able to be here, I would have voted ``aye'' to support the 
expansion of NATO. Ironically, my absence last night was due to the 
fact that I was supposed to be on my way to a conference in Europe, 
which is the New Atlantic Initiative Conference to discuss and support 
NATO and NATO expansion. The New Atlantic Initiative is a relatively 
new organization, founded among, other things, to promote the continued 
development of, and enhancement of, the strong relationship between the 
United States and our NATO allies.
  Unfortunately, because a lot of my colleagues had a lot to say and 
had amendments to offer, many of which were ultimately withdrawn, the 
leader and the distinguished minority leader were not able to close the 
debate in time for me to make that vote. Unfortunately, also, I delayed 
my departure until the very last aircraft to Europe. That aircraft was 
taken out of service. That is why, about midnight last night, I learned 
not only that I would not be able to go to that NATO conference but 
that I had also missed the vote on NATO expansion. I regret that very 
much, because I would have liked to have been here to cast my vote in 
support of that.
  I note that a letter from the distinguished majority leader, which I 
was to deliver to the representatives of the Turkish Government, has 
been delivered, and, therefore, the Senate is also represented at that 
conference as it is going on here today. I certainly appreciate the 
majority leader's support for that.

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