[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 24, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S3242]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 KOSOVO

  Mr. GRAMS. Mr. President, at this moment, U.S. forces under NATO 
command are conducting air strikes against Serbia. And they have my 
full support and endorsement as they go into battle. We all hope that 
bombing Serbia ends the cycle of violence between the Serbs and ethnic 
Albanians in that region.
  Yesterday, I voted against authorizing the use of force because the 
President refused to explain to Congress and the American people how 
his goals would be achieved by bombing, and what our plan would be 
after the bombing stops--if Milosevic refuses to yield. I still do not 
see how bombing Serbia will bring about peace or end the atrocities 
being committed. I do not see how bombing Serbia will lead to the 
Administration's goals of greater political autonomy to Kosovo, the 
withdrawal of most Serbian military forces, protection of minorities, 
and a more equitable ethnic representation among local police. That 
being said, I fully support our troops and I'm confident they will 
carry out their mission successfully.
  We should all support our troops and hope that we have not started 
down a slippery slope where the President insists that in order to 
protect our credibility or NATO's credibility we have to send in U.S. 
ground troops. The U.S. officially recognizes that Kosovo is part of 
Serbia, which along with Montenegro, forms the sovereign state of the 
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. And Yugoslav President Slobodan 
Milosevic has made it clear that Serbia does not want foreign troops on 
its soil. President Clinton, however, is bombing Serbia in order to 
force Serbia to agree to a peace accord which U.S. troops would be put 
on the ground to enforce--as an occupation force, not a peacekeeping 
force.
  There is an ongoing civil war between the Serbs and the ethnic 
Albanians and the combatants have not exhausted their will to fight. So 
when the President talks about sending 4,000 American military men and 
women to Kosovo, he is talking about making peace not keeping peace. 
The Kosovo Liberation Army is fighting for independence; the Serbs are 
fighting for complete control by Belgrade. While the Kosovars have 
accepted the U.S.-supported plan, neither side enthusiastically 
embraces the U.S.-supported plan of limited autonomy. This is a recipe 
for disaster.
  The President's decision to use NATO to attack Serbia fundamentally 
changes the nature of NATO. NATO has never attacked a country that has 
not threatened its neighbors or a member of the alliance. I do not 
think we should fundamentally change the nature of one of the most 
successful military alliances in history without a debate.
  Mr. President, I support our troops. And the best way that I can 
support them at this time is to declare that I will do everything in my 
power to make sure that U.S. troops are not put on the ground in 
Kosovo.

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