[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 115 (Thursday, September 3, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9929-S9934]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
KOSOVO
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I would like to report on a recent trip
which I made in my role as a senior member of the Senate Armed Services
Committee to a very troubled region of the world. During this trip, I
took quick but informative visits through Bosnia, Belgrade, Yugoslavia,
Macedonia, Kosovo, and NATO South Headquarters, in Naples.
To make this trip possible, I asked for and received the full support
of the Department of State and NATO. I particularly wish to express my
appreciation to Admiral Lopes, Ambassador Miles, posted to Belgrade,
and Ambassador Hill, posted to Macedonia.
In my view there are parallels and distinctions between the situation
in Bosnia and the situation in Kosovo. Kosovo is an integral part of a
sovereign nation--Yugoslavia. It is a civil war between the ethnic
function of Albanians and Serbs.
The parallels are to be found in the tragic tactics of this war.
While both factions are open for condemnation for human rights
violations, the preponderance of evidence weighs against the Serb
forces--regular army and ``so-called'' police. Clearly, President
Milosevic must be held accountable for the continuing destruction of
dwellings, the farm land, and most of all, the continuing cruel
repression against innocent people driven from their homes and land by
the combined Serb forces.
Currently, there are estimates in the hundreds of thousands of
refugees fleeing--many to the hills and forests near their villages. In
a short time, with the coming of winter, the weather will compound
their misery and sufferings.
Diplomatic efforts by U.S. and other nations have made a credible,
good faith effort to reach some measure of resolution. As I departed
Kosovo on Monday, August 31, the very able Ambassadors Miles and Hill
assured me they were continuing to press for some solution so that the
U.S. and other nations and ``NGO's'' can put in place programs and
logistic plans to bring relief to victims of both ethnic factions.
In my view, the short time between now and winter, will not permit a
solution that will embrace a form of limited government acceptable to
Belgrade. That must come in time, but for the present, we must get a
framework solution for the refugee relief program.
I commend the efforts of Assistant Secretary of State Julia Taft,
who, during her visit just days ago, sounded a fervent appeal. I attach
a copy of her analysis.
I also visited some of the towns ravaged by the war and continuing to
be ravaged by the roaming Serb forces. This must be stopped. Today I
learned that Senator Dole, who, like me is greatly concerned for the
need to stop this conflict, is going to visit on his own initiative,
Kosovo and the region. I briefed him on my trip and recommended he work
with the consortium of nations, including the U.S., Canada, Russia and
E.U. nations known as ``KDOM''.
I have great praise for the U.S. personnel of KDOM who provided me
with a trip through some of the war torn regions. I place in this
record a briefing given me by KDOM, together with their credible
petition for more assistance--logistic--from the Departments of State
and Defense. I personally will endorse their needs.
While in NATO South Heights, I received a briefing on options
involving military forces--U.S. and other nations. This weekend I will
receive further briefings.
I close by urging all Senators to devote time to the growing problems
in the Kosovo region. I support the doctrine--time tested--that
diplomacy can be no stronger than the resolve to back it up by force if
necessary. I urge all Senators to carefully stand by the complexity of
the problems--many unique and different than Bosnia--with the use of
force.
Hopefully, negotiations will produce a cease-fire and force can be
avoided. A problem still exists as to who are the KLA leaders, are they
in some agreement among themselves, and how would they be represented
at the negotiating table.
I will continue to give this troubled area a high priority and urge
others to do likewise. I ask unanimous consent that the documents I
referred to during my remarks be printed in the Record.
Mr. President, I understand the Government Printing Office estimates
the cost of printing this material in the Record to be $1,949.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
[From the USIA Washington File, Aug. 26, 1998]
Assistant Secretary of State Taft in Kosovo
Washington.--Julia V. Taft, assistant secretary of state
for population, refugees and migration, is visiting Serbia-
Montenegro, including the province of Kosovo, to assess the
situation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees
and encourage the return of Kosovar IDPS to their homes.
Taft ``will urge Serb officials to make concrete progress
on creating conditions for the return of IDPs, particularly
those who are shelterless and inaccessible to the delivery of
humanitarian aid. She also will meet with relief agency
representatives to encourage their increased presence in key
areas of return,'' said the State Department August 26.
Following is the text of a statement by Deputy Spokesman
James Foley:
statement by james b. foley
A senior State Department official is visiting Serbia-
Montenegro, including the province of Kosovo, to assess the
situation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees
in the region, and encourage the return of Kosovar IDPs to
their homes.
Julia V. Taft, Assistant Secretary of State for Population,
Refugees, and Migration, will meet with government officials
in the region and representatives of major international
organizations and non-governmental organizations during her
visit, which will last from today until Saturday. The Bureau
of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), which she
heads, has primary responsibility for U.S. refugee assistance
programs.
[[Page S9930]]
Her visit will underscore U.S. concern and commitment to
provide assistance for conflict victims in Kosovo and the
region. The U.S. Government--through PRM and the U.S. Agency
for International Development--has provided more than $11
million in recent months to meet humanitarian needs caused by
the conflict in Kosovo.
As a result of the ongoing conflict, there are some 250,000
IDPs in Kosovo and another 26,000 in Montenegro, plus 14,000
refugees in Albania. It is estimated that between 60,000 and
100,000 of those displaced within Kosovo are without shelter,
a situation that becomes increasingly grave as winter
approaches.
Assistant Secretary Taft will urge Serb officials to make
concrete progress on creating conditions for the return of
IDPs, particularly those who are shelterless and inaccessible
to the delivery of humanitarian aid. She also will meet with
relief agency representatives to encourage their increased
presence in key areas of return.
____
Daily Press Briefing, Wednesday, August 26, 1998
Mr. Foley. Welcome to the noon briefing. (Laughter.)
My watch stopped about two hours and 20 minutes ago. I beg
your indulgence.
I have a few announcements to make before I get to your
questions. First, a senior State Department official is
visiting Serbia Montenegro, including the province of Kosovo,
to assess the situation of internally displaced persons and
refugees in the region, and to encourage the return of
Kosovar internally displaced persons to their homes. I'm
talking about Julia Taft, who, as you know, is the Assistant
Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration.
She will meet with government officials in the region and
representatives of major international organizations and non-
governmental organizations during her visit, which will last
from today until Saturday.
The bureau that she heads has primary responsibility for US
refugee assistance programs. Her visit will underscore US
concern and commitment to provide assistance for conflict
victims in Kosovo and the region. The US Government has
provided more than $11 million in the last few months through
AID and the PRN bureau to meet humanitarian needs caused by
the conflict in Kosovo. As a result of the ongoing conflict
there, we estimate there are some 250,000 internally
displaced persons in Kosovo, another 26,000 in Montenegro and
14,000 refugees in Albania. It is estimated that between
60,000 and 100,000 of those displaced within Kosovo are
without shelter--a situation that becomes increasingly grave
as winter approaches.
Assistant Secretary Taft will urge Serb officials to make
concrete progress on creating conditions for the return of
internally displaced persons, particularly those who are
shelterless and inaccessible to the delivery of humanitarian
aid. She will also meet with relief agency representatives to
encourage their increased presence in key areas of return,
which we think is very important.
Julia Taft's visit to the region will be one in a series in
coming weeks by senior United States Government officials as
the US acts to help meet humanitarian needs in the region.
The second announcement has to do with----
Question. (Inaudible)--where she's been, and I didn't quite
grab it. You mentioned the stops she made or is making, did
you?
Mr. Foley. In the region. I believe that she is in Belgrade
and going to Pristina today.
Question. (Inaudible)--to the architect of this whole
business?
Mr. Foley. Yes, yes--well, I don't believe she is meeting
with President Milosevic. Ambassador Hill met with President
Milosevic yesterday. I did not have an opportunity to talk to
him; he called and we didn't connect earlier this morning.
But the high agenda item yesterday in Belgrade for him with
Milosevic was, indeed, this issue of allowing humanitarian
access. I can get to that if we come to this question a
little later in the briefing.
Question. Well, this is short, but far from allowing
humanitarian access, it appears that the Serbs are now
targeting aid workers. They blew up a convey carrying three
Mother Theresa workers. How does she expect to reverse this
trend?
Mr. Foley. Well let's get into the topic, then. I have a
few other announcements to make. Barry, you're the dean; what
do you want to do?
Question. Let's just go--(Inaudible).
Mr. Foley. Okay. You're absolutely right that international
organizations and non-governmental organizations continue to
report serious access problems throughout Kosovo. A UNHCRCRS
convoy was unable to deliver humanitarian supplies to the
region south of Pec yesterday.
As I said, Julia Taft is in Belgrade and Pristina today,
where she is meeting with humanitarian organizations. That's
in answer to your specific question, Barry.
The assessment team from the US Office of Foreign Disaster
Assistance had planned to arrive in Kosovo this week, but is
yet to receive its visas from the FRY. Clearly, in answer to
your question, Jim, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is not
fulfilling its previous commitments to the international
community of unrestricted access to Kosovo and to internally
displaced persons by humanitarian organizations and
diplomatic observers.
The Kosovo diplomatic observer missions have confirmed
reports that three humanitarian aide workers were killed
between Malisevo and Kijevo yesterday. The three victims are
Kosovar Albanians who were working for the Mother Theresa
Society, a local NGO that distributes aid directly to
internally displaced persons. The evidence indicates that the
workers' vehicle was deliberately targeted by a Serbian
armored vehicle less than one kilometer away in broad
daylight. The targeting of civilians is, indeed, a cowardly
act. We deplore deliberate attempts to disrupt humanitarian
relief work, which shows indeed the emptiness of Mr.
Milosevic's promises.
We call on Serb authorities to halt immediately their
offensive. All NGOs--both local as well as international--
must be allowed to deliver humanitarian assistance to
internally displaced persons, free from fear and obstruction.
Can I move on to my other announcements?
Question. Can I just--who did you say has not received
visas?
Mr. Foley. This is the Office of Foreign Disaster
Assistance. They have been held up. But I understand that
Assistant Secretary Taft had some difficulty in getting her
visa also, which eventually came through. We certainly expect
that will be the case for the OFDA personnel.
A couple other announcements. The United States regrets the
incidents of August 26, 1998, that's today, in Northern
Israel and Southern Lebanon--especially in view of the
casualties which have occurred on all sides. We have been in
contact with both the government of Israel and the government
of Lebanon, and are urging restraint.
The April 1996 understanding, which established the Israel-
Lebanon Monitoring Group, provides a process for resolving
complaints. We call upon all the parties to use this process.
The Monitoring Group should meet as soon as possible to
consider these latest incidents.
Lastly, the United States welcomes the August 25
announcement by the chairman of the Independent National
Electoral Commission of Nigeria, presenting the time table
for the forthcoming elections designed to return Nigeria to
civilian democratic rule. I won't go into the particulars,
because the announcement you'll see we'll post lays out the
different elections at all levels of government to be held
late this year and early next year.
The announcement fulfills head of state, General Abubakar's
public pledge to schedule the election of a civilian
president in the first quarter of 1999. It is also consistent
with his statement that the new elected president would be
sworn into office on May 29, 1999. We are committed to
working with Nigeria to ensure continued progress toward a
rapid, transparent and inclusive transition to civilian
democratic rule.
Question by Barry Schweid. Libya apparently has told the UN
it isn't ready to say yea or nay to your compromise
arrangement, which I though the US--it is a compromise--that
is, a take-it-or-leave-it proposition. Do you suppose they're
expecting you to fall back even further?
* * * * *
The Assistant Secretary's visit to the region will be one
in a series in coming weeks by high-level USG officials as
the United States acts to help meet humanitarian needs in the
region, calls attention to the potential for a greater
humanitarian crisis in Kosovo, raises awareness of the human
rights situation there, and presses for a cease-fire between
Serb and rebel forces and cooperation from Serb officials.
____
[From the USIS Washington File, Aug. 28, 1998]
Assistant Secretary Taft Press Conference in Belgrade
Belgrade.--``With the snow may come the death of more than
200,000 people who have been displaced from their homes
because of the conflict in Kosovo,'' said Assistant Secretary
of State Julia V. Taft at a press conference in Belgrade
August 28 after a visit to Kosovo.
``It was one of the most heart-wrenching experiences I have
had in 25 years of working in humanitarian relief. We have a
catastrophe looming, and we only have as a world humanitarian
community six weeks to help the government of Serbia respond
to this crisis. The snows come early, I understand, to this
part of the world.''
Tarft said, ``While I was there, the authorities in
Pristina unveiled their new concept for targeted assistance
to 11 points within Kosovo. They indicated that the
government was prepared to provide building material, food,
water and electricity, and they encouraged and hoped that the
international community, the NGOs, would also have the
ability to go into those same locations as part of the
confidence-building effort. Planning for those centers is
going on now. These are not safe havens, but they are going
to be places where there will be opportunities for people to
come down from the mountains [and obtain supplies].''
While humanitarian assistance is desperately needed for the
internally displaced persons (IDPs), Taft said, ``There are
many Serb families and other ethnic groups that have to be
assisted by the relief community. We are going to try to make
sure that there is equity for everybody.''
Following is the transcript of the press conference:
[[Page S9931]]
Assistant Secretary Taft. Thank you very much for your
patience. I have been delayed because of some very important
meetings with government officials today to discuss the
tragedy that is unfolding in Kosovo. I have just returned
from a visit, although short, to Kosovo. It was one of the
most heart-wrenching experiences I have had in 25 years of
working in humanitarian relief. We have a catastrophe
looming, and we only have as a world humanitarian community
six weeks to help the government of Serbia respond to this
crisis. The snows come early, I understand, to this part of
the world. With the snow may come the death of more than
200,000 people who have been displaced from their home
because of the conflict in Kosovo.
My mission here has been to meet with government officials,
with the international organizations, with the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR] representatives, the
International Committee of the Red Cross and many non-
governmental organizations who are providing relief at this
moment to many villages and towns in Kosovo. I believe
that we have to work together, to support the efforts of
this government, to support the efforts of the relief
community, to find the way to deal with this emergency.
Yesterday in Pristina I announced that the United States
had already invested $11 million in providing relief over
the past few months. This compares to about $10 million
that we have provided for Serbian refugees in this area.
About $11 million was focused mostly on the humanitarian
crisis up to now. I have asked my office in the State
Department to prepare a request to the President of the
United States to allow us immediately to invest many
millions of more dollars within the next few weeks to try
to avert this disaster. We're here to share with you our
impressions, our concern, and our commitment that Kosovo
and the people of Kosovo will not have to face the
consequences of death when the snows arrive.
I would be very pleased to answer any questions that you
might have. Let us begin with the first question:
Q. You were speaking about the humanitarian side. Were you
involved in any way in the political issues that have, after
all, created the humanitarian catastrophe that you are
talking about?
Assistant Secretary Taft. Well, I am involved in those
because they, of course, are driving the crisis that we have
now. However, Ambassador Chris Hill is the one that is
leading the negotiation team working with Dr. Rugova and
working with the authorities here on a peace process. I don't
know how quickly that process will come to a positive
conclusion. I hope it is soon, but I don't know if it will be
as fast as when the snows come. So we have to deal with this
humanitarian crisis right now, because its outcome will also
affect the political outcome.
Q. Have you talked to the representatives of the Albanian
people about these humanitarian issues and how much they
could affect their forces in the field, the so-called Kosovo
Liberation Army, to allow access for the humanitarian
organizations, because recently Ms. Emma Bonino couldn't even
reach the place she intended because of this situation in the
field?
Assistant Secretary Taft. I had access to every place I
wanted to go. I went with the KDOM forces, and I went from
Pristina to Pec, to Decani, and to Junik, and saw many
villages along the road and met with some of the displaced
persons who were camping out in some of the destroyed
villages. It was a very moving experience. I then had a
chance to speak with Dr. Rugova to ask for a clarification on
a statement he allegedly made, which said that the Albanian
people should not come down from the mountains, that they
should stay up there because it was not safe to come down. He
denied having expressed in that way. I assured him that every
effort was going to be made to build the confidence so that
people come down from the mountains, and I hope that he would
change or clarify his position. While I was there, the
authorities in Pristina unveiled their new concept for
targeted assistance to 11 points within Kosovo. They
indicated that the government was prepared to provide
building materials, food, water and electricity, and they
encouraged and hoped that the international community, the
NGOs, would also have the ability to go into those same
locations as part of the confidence-building effort. Planning
for those centers is going on now. These are not safe havens,
but they are going to be places where there will be
opportunities for people to come down from the mountains.
I spoke today with the authorities in Belgrade and said
that we would be prepared to fund operational expenses over
the next six months, but it was absolutely critical that the
government considered this an emergency--to wave restrictions
that have existed in the past for getting relief workers in,
getting commodities delivered, and providing for reduced
military presence, particularly in those 11 areas. I believe
we've made a lot of progress in our discussions, and I'm
hoping that this new initiative starts with the 11 locations
and will expand and multiply in the weeks ahead.
Q. What kind of assurances did you get from the Serbian
government that people could go back to their homes? What
kind of security measures would make the people feel safe so
that they could go back?
Assistant Secretary Taft. The assurances have been made
public by the authorities through leaflets, through the
notification and announcement of these locations. They are
not yet safe, because there is not the kind of presence that
needs to be there. I am hoping that quick planning will
result in some real movement back to towns soon. You know,
there is something called safety in numbers. Where there is
the presence of Western relief workers, where there is the
presence of the United Nations, where there is the presence
of KDOM observers, I think, that will add to a sense of
credible safety. But, quite frankly, let me say I think that
the entire area of Kosovo is under serious strain,
economically and psychologically, right now. It is not just
assistance dedicated to those people who are on the
mountains, cold and hungry and some dying, but it's also for
the other people in Kosovo that have to have assistance, too.
There are many Serb families and other ethnic groups that
have to be assisted by the relief community. We are going to
try to make sure that there is equity for everybody.
Q. When you say that you had talked with the
representatives of the so-called KLA, did you, as a
humanitarian worker, remember to ask them what has happened
to the at least 115 abducted and missing citizens of Kosovo-
Metohia?
Assistant Secretary Taft. I did not speak with KLA
representatives, I spoke with Dr. Rugova. We did express
grave concern about the missing Serbs. I think there are
about 176 that are missing. This is a great concern. On the
other hand, there have also been many missing and killed
Albanians, too. I think this underscores that no one has been
left untouched by the tragedy that has happened, and that
makes it even more compelling that we stop the war, stop the
killing, and try to provide a humanitarian alternative. It is
not responsibility of the international community, however,
to stop it. It is the responsibility of the people within
Kosovo and Serbia to try to find conditions for confidence-
building and assistance. We stand ready to try to support
financially, and through whatever technical assistance we
can, to mobilize the planning and deployment of external
resources that can help bridge the requirements that exist
right now.
Q. Ms. Taft, how would you estimate the level of the
humanitarian catastrophe?
Assistant Secretary Taft. On the scale of one to ten? I'd
say about nine. It is a crisis now, where some lives have
been lost, but we still have time to work together to save
about 200,000 lives. It's not too late.
Any other questions? Yes, San Francisco Chronicle.
Q. Yes, my question is: Do you think that it is realistic
that you can employ the kind of measures that you would like
to, humanitarian measures, without a cease-fire?
Assistant Secretary Taft. A cease-fire would be our hope.
In the absence of a cease-fire, we have identified, however,
a number of things that need to go forward. We believe the
KDOM needs to be expanded. I will be asking my own government
to try to make additional contributions, and work with other
donor countries to expand the presence of KDOM. We have to
get more experienced relief workers into Kosovo working with
the international relief community. There is a proposal we
offered to try to accelerate the approval, on an emergency
basis, of those visas. There is a problem of communications.
You know, it's very difficult to have a far-flung relief
assistance program if the people in the field cannot
communicate with their base offices.
And we believe it's a security and a protection issue.
Radios are very difficult to manage in Kosovo, so we have
raised this question, and it needs to be resolved. There also
is the local economy, which has collapsed. There's very
little in the stores. There are some stores in the major
cities that are functioning, and some markets that are
functioning. But, basically, there is in effect an embargo on
commercial availability of some of the most important life-
sustaining requirements. And we have asked, on an emergency
basis, that the informal ``blockade'' be lifted for such
things as wheat flour, sugar, oil, milk, and detergent, which
did not sound life-threatening to me, but everybody needs it.
Those are the elements that we are going to ask to try to get
the government to lift this informal blockade on the
commercial sector. We've got to get food to people, and these
commodities to people in the cities and the villages down
there. Those are elements of what we are considering, what we
have offered the government to consider. We are not managing
this disaster. We are only trying to help those who are
responsible for making sure the security of people in Kosovo
exists, and that their livelihood and lives are sustained. I
had assurances at all levels today that, in fact, the
government here is desirous of living up to the agreement
that was made between Yeltsin and Milosevic two months ago,
which had a number of elements in it that are not really
operational now. Although KDOM was part of it. This Kosovo
Diplomatic Observer Mission was part of it. There were other
requirements that were in that communique, in that agreement
which related to unfettered access by humanitarian workers,
and that's what we have been particularly focusing on. It is
important to know that our President, the President of the
United States, will be meeting with [President Boris] Yeltsin
in the next few days, and we are going to be raising this
issue with the Russian authorities, too, because they have
been a very effective interlocutor with the authorities here.
Q. Were you informed by the Serbian authorities they have
for the past several
[[Page S9932]]
months been offering a dialogue to the Albanian party, that
Mr. Hill has had a very hard job of convincing the Albanian
party to negotiate, that the new negotiating team was formed
thanks to the representatives of the European Union, but
there is no dialogue yet? In the meantime Mr. Adern Dernaci,
UCK representative, announces a guerrilla war. How do you
think there can be any improvement of the humanitarian
situation in Kosovo?
Assistant Secretary Taft. That is a very troublesome but
appropriate question. I don't know the answer. All I can say
is that, from previous experiences, where there has been a
threat of guerrilla action, that guerrilla action takes its
root from the people who are displaced who have no hope, who
have no food, and are discontent. I think that what we need
to do is reinforce a better alternative for people by having
these areas, and appropriate distribution and shelter, so
that they are not victims. This is a very important feature,
of course, of Ambassador Chris Hill's initiative. He feels
that there has been some progress. I was with him yesterday,
but as I say, the political and humanitarian time frames may
be different. I do think that if we are able to find ways to
accelerate the flow and effectiveness of relief, so that
people's lives are not so tortured--I mean, these people that
I met with and saw, they are not political, they are
peasants, they are people who just want their families with
them, they have so many needs, they've been dispossessed and
moved to often--that's what they want, they don't care what
the politicians want. We need to be part of an international
effort that provides them a different alternative and some
hope back to their villages.
I hope you will all follow this story. For those of you who
can get down and see what is happening, you will understand
how appalling and how heart-wrenching it is for all the
people down there. Six weeks is not a long time. It will be a
real test of whether or not there is a viable future for the
people of Kosovo.
Q. You said that the international community is not
responsible for bringing the war in Kosovo to an end. So what
about NATO air strikes? Would you suggest to your own
government that they shouldn't take place?
Assistant Secretary Taft. I will not be making
recommendations about the NATO air strikes. My portfolio is
humanitarian. I do not think we need any more killing, any
more destruction, or any more bloodshed. We have got to focus
right now on the next six weeks, if people are still in this
hills, and still dying, I think that will be the point of
decision-making internationally about what else should be
done. I pray we don't get there. There seems to be energy,
interest and a commitment to try to avoid that catastrophe,
and that's what I am praying for.
Thank you very much.
____
[From the United States Information Service, Aug. 28, 1998]
Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
Julia V. Taft's, Press Conference in Pristina, Yugoslavia
Secretary Taft. As you all know, I just returned from a
six-hour field trip today to Junik and Decani, and visited a
number of empty villages along the way, and was able to see
first hand the level of devastation that has been occurring
during this conflict. It would be an understatement for me to
say that I am just concerned. I am really appalled by the
devastation and overwhelmed by the need for urgent
humanitarian assistance. As you know, a number of United
Nations agencies and non-governmental agencies have been
working very hard to meet some of the needs that the
internally displaced persons, the refugees and the local
families are facing in Kosovo. One of the things that was
particularly positive about my trip was seeing so many
families who had welcomed internally displaced people into
their homes--people they didn't know, and people with whom
they were willing to share whatever food and shelter they
have.
In the end, of course we know that the suffering will only
stop when the conflict stops. I hope that would be true soon,
certainly within the next few months. But therefore then, I
am very much afraid there is a looming catastrophe within the
next six weeks, because of the weather and the cold that will
come. So, my energy is here, and the focus of the
humanitarian investments we are planning to make over the
next few days and week, or so, will be focused on how to help
accelerate and underscore a massive, innovative program for
humanitarian assistance. It will require all of the energy
and creativity of the NGOs. It will require the cooperation
of the government officials. It will require generosity on
the part of the donors, and it will be very important that
those elements of the conflict put down their arms.
Six weeks is almost here, and I hope very much to see in
six weeks that we have been able to have enough confidence on
the ground, and security on the ground, so that these people
will be able to come home.
In the last very few months, the United States has given
more than 11 million dollars to support the humanitarian
requirements in Kosovo. I am going back to the States over
the weekend, and I have already indicated today to my office
to prepare a request for President Clinton to offer
additional millions of dollars.
I am looking here over the next few days on how this money
can best be spent, but it will be significant, and it will be
able to, I think, help quite a lot.
As you know, we are participating in the Kosovo Diplomatic
Observer Mission. I'm going to try to urge even fuller
participation by our government in that, it's an excellent
innovation, and we appreciate the willingness of the
government officials to allow this observer mission as much
access as it does have.
Today, when I was meeting with the government officials, I
was told that they had come up with a new idea to open up a
special focus on eleven locations here for coordinated
humanitarian response. We welcome this initiative. We will
look forward to seeing how they are able to fulfill it.
We also met with the non-governmental organizations to
encourage their participation in a focused coordinated
manner, which we hope will help.
Eleven cities is not enough. The whole country needs help.
And we are going to try to do whatever we can to work with
the people of this wonderful area, and to work with all of
the relief agencies, so that we will be able to avoid a
catastrophe that is looming in front of us.
Thank you very much, and I'll be glad to answer your
questions.
Question. How do you mean to help the population of Kosovo
in these circumstances when we see that everyday Serbia is
burning and destroying every village, every town, and every
place in Kosovo?
Secretary Taft. It is true, I saw even today several
different buildings burning--fresh fires in places that were
already destroyed.
My sense is that we have to deal with it on many different
levels. There's the diplomatic level, and our ambassador,
Chris Hill, is working very closely on that. He also met with
Dr. Rugova today to try to move the process along, and he met
yesterday with Mr. Milosevic. The Contact Group meets every
week and is working very hard on the diplomatic side. I think
what we would welcome is a standing-down over the next six
weeks of any aggressive action on the part of any group in
this area. We have got to be able to help the citizens of
Kosovo, and we've got to make sure that the government here
is responsible for security. We also have to make sure to the
extent possible that there is safe distribution of relief
supplies by relief workers, and that means no guns and no
fire.
Question. Do you have any word of the reports that the
Serbs actually opened fire on a family of eleven people
killing them in the back of a tractor today in the city of
Gracka?
Secretary Taft. Oh, God, no I don't. We did, of course,
raise the issue of the deaths of the three Mother Theresa
relief workers with great sorrow that they were victims of
this conflict when their whole lives had been dedicated to
volunteering to help people. We expressed our condolences not
only to the president of the Mother Theresa Society, but I
raised it today with the authorities to find out what they
are going to do to find out who actually committed the
killings. I must say I was very reassured by both the regret
and the apology by the authorities that these people had been
killed, and there is gong to be an inspection. It is also
true that the NGOs were invited in to the government to
discuss not only this plan for the new eleven locations, but
also they expressed great regret and apology to the NGOs.
Question. Mr. Milosevic has said from time to time that
there have been irresponsible units that have destroyed
villages (inaudible). Shouldn't somebody be pushing him to
prosecute these people or actually (inaudible) them the way
that so-called irresponsible units would be in any normal
army?
Secretary Taft. Absolutely. It's my understanding that the
last incident in which there was an identified errant unit
that had attacked maliciously, that that unit was removed and
was replaced. Whether there is a broader observer mission
that can do this reporting and accounting, I think really we
have to build on the existence of KDOM and get more people
out there. On the issue of the willingness of the government
to rein in their army, my position is get the army out of
here and you'll have less of a problem. This all needs to be
negotiated in terms of this concept of unfettered access
which the NGOs are supposed to have--well, it's fettered and
we need to work on some agreements about the level of
security and this will be a high priority.
Question. Should the six weeks you've been mentioning be
considered as a deadline for Milosevic to stop all his
hostilities?
Secretary Taft. There are hostilities on all sides and all
must be stopped. The message I would like to send is that the
world is watching what's happening in Kosovo and we need to
make sure that the people who purport to lead the citizens of
Kosovo, whatever their background, they need to make sure
that there is access and there is no fighting so that people
can be having some degree of assurance that they can come
down from the mountains. Six weeks? I don't know. This is the
first time I've ever been to Kosovo. It's already getting a
little cold at night, but I do believe that, from the people
with whom I have discussed, six weeks is a time frame that--
if we can meet--will certainly alleviate much of the
suffering.
Question. Six weeks for politicians is a short time, but
six weeks for civilians who are in the mountains--and exactly
for children--is a very long time. We have there children who
are dying even from cold
[[Page S9933]]
weather, so, if this six weeks will take so many children's
lives, what after?
Secretary Taft. My sense is that if there is enough
presence of relief workers, if there is enough presence of
the KDOM, and if there is an agreement to live up to access,
that the people can come down, and they will be able to be
assisted. We have talked a lot over the last couple of days
about, even if there were access, is there enough food in the
pipeline? And are there enough relief workers and local
people who can help in the distribution? And we've identified
a few things that we can push. But one of them doesn't even
relate to relief, it relates to what I understand is an
informal embargo or an informal blockade of a number of
commodities that ought to be in the stores of Kosovo. And
I've driven by and looked for something to buy, and there's
nothing to buy. So we know that there are restrictions or
there is in essence a variety of very important commodities
that the people here would like to buy that they find
difficult to obtain. We are going to present a list of those
that we consider absolutely urgent and would hope that the
normal market could be energized in this time frame, too,
because that would certainly help quite a lot,
particularly the families who have been so generous in
opening up their homes. We try to do relief assistance for
them, but we don't have enough in the pipeline for two
million people. So we have to deal with the local economy.
Question. How are you going to deal with the obstacles
usually coming from the Serbian authorities toward relief
organizations?
Secretary Taft. I've received a number of suggestions of
things that would be greatly helpful. One is a more
forthcoming role on the part of the United Nations High
Commissioner to help in registering agencies that have relief
workers. To try to get radio frequencies is a big problem.
Trying to deal with the visa problem. Even the USAID team is
waiting for its visas. So visas are not just a problem for
relief workers, they're also a problem for diplomats. We need
to find a way to streamline that and to give assurances to
the authorities that the people who are coming in actually
have training, have functions, have a job to do. We're going
to take this up tomorrow, and I think the highest issues that
I've been asked to convey mostly deal with radio and
communications, access, and visas. And we'll try to deal with
that.
Question. Just to speak about one issue that you've
raised--this informal embargo. Why should people be
optimistic that any one of the long laundry list of actions
that need to be taken, and which you are helping to identify,
will actually be acted upon? This embargo has been going on
for months. If the international community, not to mention
the United States, were serious about doing something about
it, they could have been and it seems to me, some might argue
should have been, banging on the doors in Belgrade for months
about this. It's a bit late to suddenly start talking about
an informal embargo when officials have known about it for
months.
Secretary Taft. From my office and my perspective, I am
responsible for refugee programs on a humanitarian basis for
the State Department, and we have been working very closely
obviously with the authorities and everybody on the Serb
refugee question. The IDPs are people in refugee-like
situations, and with the events of the last few months, it
was determined that I have got to get my resources and my
office much more heavily engaged, which I am doing. It is
also a fact that the Secretary-General has indicated that
Sadako Ogata, who is the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees,
is, in fact, the lead agency. We are the primary funders
worldwide for UNHCR, so I have a client there and a
relationship where we can move very quickly. So, you will see
not only me, but you saw Emma Bonino last week, Soren Jessen-
Peterson. There will be a series of other people coming out.
All of us have different aspects in our portfolios and we are
going to be working very energetically to deal with this. The
food embargo, I think, is one that has been raised
diplomatically a number of times. Right now, I have put it on
the urgent list because of the time frame and the fact that
we are not going to be able to come up with enough relief
commodities. We've got to make sure that the normal economy
is working, and that there is access by the commercial
vendors and others. Now not all the laundry list of items is
realistic to try to change overnight, but if we're working on
this on an emergency basis to say, ``At a minimum, you've got
to have oil, sugar, wheat flour, a lot of people have said
detergent--I'm interested in that--and salt.'' Those are the
ones. I know the list is much longer, but we will push that,
and if you have other suggestions, I'd be delighted to hear
them.
Question. Each day the war is spreading to new parts of
Kosovo. On the other side the politicians are seeking a
political solution. Do you think there is still time to solve
the problem by dialogue?
Secretary Taft. The problem will only be solved when
there's a peace agreement and there is real cease-fire. I
have to be optimistic. We don't have a choice. We've got
176,000, maybe more, people who are in urgent need of help,
and it's up to all of us to figure out how to do it. So I
have to be optimistic that the good will of the people here,
and the government, and the NGOs will work. Now I may not
come back in six weeks if it's not a success, but I think
it's being able to identify and pinpoint exactly what
requirements you have that have to be met, and set up a user-
friendly system by all of the relief agencies to be able to
interface with the government. The government was very
responsive today and I think we need to continue to work with
the authorities to make sure that we are all working
together.
Question. You've spoken about this special focus on eleven
areas that the government has identified. Is that to suggest
that the government is going to provide security for
something resembling safe areas that they will guarantee will
be safe?
Secretary Taft. What this is going to be, as I understand
it, and I think it's still in its formulative stage, is that
they have picked eleven locations (We can make the list
available; I don't have in front of me right now) where they
will provide electricity, water, building materials, and food
assistance. What I have asked the non-governmental
organizations if they would be willing to do is right away
figure out where those areas are where there are areas where
they can operate in as well, and sit down and figure out what
is going to be available, so that when assistance is there,
it's used effectively, right away. One of the things that
surprised me on this trip today was to go and see two
different locations where the government had made available
building materials, but I didn't see anyone there to use them
for rebuilding, or any presence of organizations that could
be helpful. So we have an opportunity, I think, to match the
manpower and skills of the NGOs with the raw materials, at
least in those locations and to get moving. Eleven sites in
this immense place is not much, but it's a start, it's this
week. Let's go with it, and let's see how we can open up more
opportunities.
Thank you for your interest. I think the word really needs
to get out, not only here, but internationally. There has to
be more attention on this crisis, because it is here, and
there are opportunities for us not to have to admit to chaos
in about six weeks. So, I appreciate however you can cover
this story. It's important for the world to know the struggle
that's going on here. Thank you very much.
____
Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission Command Briefing by Senator Warner,
August 31, 1998
purpose
Observe and report on the situation in Kosovo: Freedom of
movement/freedom of access; human rights issues and
humanitarian relief efforts; internally displaced persons/
refugees; and general security situation.
Background
Milosevic offer of 8 March.
PC decision in April to establish KDOM.
London Contact Group meeting.
Milosevic/Yeltsin meeting.
First mission--6 July.
Headquarters security approved by DOS 31 July.
operations
Patrol planning................................................\1\ 1900
Patrol/protection briefing.........................................0730
Vehicle preparation................................................0830
Departure..........................................................0900
Return.............................................................1500
Debrief/team report................................................1900
Final report to Embassy............................................2300
\1\ Day prior.
DAILY RHYTHM
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patrol day Plan/Medevac day I&W/analysis Reports
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
0730............................ Update............ Additional jobs or .................. ..................
MEDEVAC.
0830............................ Inspection........ .................. .................. ..................
0900............................ Depart............ .................. .................. ..................
1500............................ Return............ .................. .................. ..................
1600............................ Verbal debrief.... .................. Debrief assist.... Debrief assist
1900............................ Team reports...... Mission prep...... .................. Draft report
2300............................ Reports done...... .................. Analysis.......... Report to Embassy
.................. .................. KSU receipt....... ..................
.................. .................. Brief prep........ ..................
.................. .................. Update brief...... ..................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
security/protection
Permanent RSO.
Hotel upgrades.
Guards/interpreters.
Communications.
Medical.
Procedures.
Successes
Fully integrated interagency operations.
[[Page S9934]]
Fully integrated with international partners.
Since 6 July, 155 missions--34 joint (US & EU and/or
Russian Federation); and 6 weekly joint reports to contact
group and NAC.
Established functional headquarters from scratch.
Command and control and reporting system that reaches from
the observer in the field to the Capitol in Washington.
way ahead
Commenced partial operations since 6 July.
Full operations since 15 Aug.
Improve fleet of vehicles.
Personal rotations/fills.
Continuous freedom of access.
Punlic information.
Communications.
Danger benefits (DoD).
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank the Chair and yield the floor.
Mr. COATS addressed the Chair.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Indiana.
Mr. COATS. Mr. President, the remarks of the Senator from Virginia,
as always, are thoughtful, articulate, and in this case somber and
serious, given the gravity of the situation that he described. They are
important remarks and important for each of us in this body to
thoughtfully and seriously consider.
The Senator's commitment, as a valued member of the Senate Armed
Services Committee, and ex-chairman of that committee--his commitment
to traveling to where the action is taking place and meeting with
representatives from all sides, analyzing the problem and bringing back
the very latest of information, is invaluable to those of us who serve
on that committee and everyone here in this body who needs to make
decisions about what the policy of the United States should be in
regard to these difficult situations that arise.
The Senator has indicated he has made close to 10 separate trips to
this very difficult area of the world. This is not easy travel. This is
a commitment that is extraordinary but also extraordinarily important
to us in terms of formulating our policy. I thank the Senator for his
leadership in that effort.
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I express my humble gratitude to my good
friend who has served these many years that we have been together on
the Armed Services Committee and, indeed, has made trips to remote
parts of the world. I remember well a trip to the gulf region, and
other regions. And I and other Members of this body on both sides of
the aisle will dearly miss the wisdom and the insight that you have in
these complex problems, and problems that you have addressed very
forthrightly in your distinguished career in this body. As you bring it
to a close, we wish you well.
I thank the Chair and thank my colleague.
Mr. COATS. I thank my colleague from Virginia for those kind words.
____________________