[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 98 (Tuesday, July 21, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1367-E1368]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            CALLING FOR THE INDICTMENT OF SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 21, 1998

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I am introducing today a 
resolution which states our belief that the Yugoslav President Slobodan 
Milosevic is responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity and 
genocide. The resolution also calls for action by our government--
especially in providing information--that could lead to the indictment 
of Milosevic for these crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal in 
The Hague.
  Those who have followed the course of Yugoslavia's violent 
disintegration know well how Slobodan Milosevic has stirred conflict in 
order to achieve, strengthen and maintain power during the early 1990s, 
the very years when all Europeans should have had the chance to 
celebrate newfound unity and freedom with the end of the Cold War and 
Communism's collapse. Threatened by democratic change, Milosevic played 
upon Serb grievance--some legitimate and some not--to encourage Serbs 
throughout former Yugoslavia to rally behind him and establish a 
``Greater Serbia.'' He engaged in massive propaganda campaigns, 
spurring Serbs to hate Croats, Bosniacs and Albanians, or at least to 
view these neighboring peoples as threats. He put thugs into positions 
of power, ensuring support for his rule and a willingness to engage in 
the repression and ethnic cleansing. He supplied militants with heavy 
weaponry with which to bombard cities, towns, and villages throughout 
the region.
  In testimony before the Helsinki Commission, which I co-chair with 
the primary Senate sponsor of this resolution, Alfonse D'Amato, many 
expert witnesses have testified to the deliberate nature of the attack 
on civilians in Croatia and in Bosnia. Mosques, hospitals, cultural 
institutions and even schools were specifically targeted for 
destruction. Intellectuals were targeted for incarceration and even 
execution. Women were targeted for the agony of being raped. Witnesses 
also told us of the systematic nature of the policy of ethnic 
cleansing. From valley to valley, region to region, the implementation 
of ethnic cleansing was so consistent that one can only conclude that 
it was directed and orchestrated by the political leaders.
  There is only one person in such a position of power that he could 
have unleashed such devastation in Yugoslavia--Slobodan Milosevic. I 
believe that he is every bit as guilty of war crimes as the 
concentration camp guards, the snipers, and the rapists.
  And now, Mr. Speaker, there is a new conflict in the former 
Yugoslavia, one in which Milosevic is again directly involved. In 
Kosovo, after years of repression of the largely Albanian population by 
Serbian authorities, there is now open conflict. With this conflict, 
innocent civilians are being killed, there are reports of detention 
centers, of rapes and the destruction of whole villages that indicate, 
at minimum, the open tolerance of such abuses by those in power in 
Belgrade, including Milosevic, if not the direction of such abuses. 
Last week we also received information indicating that distribution of 
basic food and humanitarian supplies has been hindered by Yugoslav and 
Serb officials. Mr. Speaker, using food as a weapon of war or 
intimidation can not be tolerated.
  Of course, Mr. Milosevic remains in Belgrade, away from the scene of 
the crimes, and he denies association with those committing these 
crimes. He is a liar. In fact, he denied to me directly what I saw with 
my own eyes to be happening during the siege of Vukovar in Croatia. 
Unfortunately, he has escaped responsibility for the crimes by 
projecting himself as the ``peacemaker'', the one we supposedly need to 
achieve the Dayton Agreement which ended the Bosnian conflict, and the 
one with whom the Kosovar Albanians are being told to join at a 
negotiation table for dialogue. How many senior Administration 
officials have traveled repeatedly to Belgrade in order to cajole 
Milosevic to do this or to do that? He seems to be able to unravel 
progress if he wants. Does not our reliance on him as ``peacemaker'' 
help him maintain power at the expense of a democratic Serbia? Mr. 
Speaker, we can not overlook the criminal responsibility of a person 
like Milosevic, even when we find ourselves dependent on that person to 
implement policies the United States has set.
  The resolution we are introducing does not address questions of 
United States policy towards Serbia; we plainly and simply call for 
justice. Mr. Speaker, I believe that indicating Milosevic is not only 
good justice; it is good policy. As long as Milosevic is in power in 
Belgrade and there is no democracy in Serbia, the Balkans will remain 
unstable. As long as we deal with Milosevic, we perpetuate his power.
  I hope, Mr. Speaker, that this resolution will find broad, bipartisan 
support. I am pleased that I am joined by my colleagues Mr. Hoyer, Mr. 
Rohrbacher, Mr. Engel, Mr. King, Mr.

[[Page E1368]]

Olver and Mr. McGovern as original cosponsors. Who can argue against 
providing information that could lead to the indictment of a person who 
may have committed war crimes? Who can argue against supporting the 
tribunal which can bring needed justice to South-Central Europe? That 
is what this resolution does, and the measure deserves quick and 
positive action by the House.

                          ____________________