[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 140 (Thursday, October 8, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11991-S11992]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 125--EXPRESSING THE OPPOSITION OF CONGRESS 
       TO ANY DEPLOYMENT OF UNITED STATES GROUND FORCES IN KOSOVO

  Mr. INHOFE (for himself, Mr. Lott, Mr. Helms, Mrs. Hutchison, Mr. 
Burns, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Hutichinson, Mr. Smith of New 
Hampshire, Mr. Murkowski, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Allard, Mr. Campbell, Mr. 
Mack, Mr. Craig, Mr. Grams, Mr. Faircloth, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Enzi, and 
Mr. Hatch) submitted the following concurrent resolution which was 
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                            S. Con. Res. 125

       Whereas Kosovo, unlike Bosnia, is a province of the 
     sovereign nation of Serbia;
       Whereas there is no vital United States national security 
     interest at stake in the current violence taking place in 
     Kosovo;
       Whereas an Act of Congress is necessary for the 
     introduction of the Armed Forces of the United States into 
     hostilities or situations where imminent involvement in 
     hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, when 
     such action is not required for the defense of the United 
     States, its Armed Forces, or its nationals;
       Whereas President Clinton is contemplating ordering such a 
     deployment to Kosovo in the near future in conjunction with 
     NATO;

[[Page S11992]]

       Whereas the Secretary of Defense, William Cohen, opposes 
     the deployment of ground forces in Kosovo, as reflected in 
     his testimony before Congress on October 6, 1998;
       Whereas the lessons of United States military involvement 
     in Bosnia clearly argue that the costs and duration of any 
     such deployment for peacekeeping purposes will be much 
     heavier and much longer than initially foreseen; and
       Whereas the substantial drain on military readiness of a 
     deployment in Kosovo would be inconsistent with the need, 
     recently acknowledged by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to 
     reverse the trends which are decimating the ability of the 
     Armed Forces of the United States to carry out the basic 
     National Military Strategy of the United States: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress hereby expresses its opposition to 
     any deployment of United States ground forces into the 
     Serbian province of Kosovo for peacemaking or peacekeeping 
     purposes.
       Sec. 2. The Secretary of the Senate shall transmit a copy 
     of this concurrent resolution to the President.

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