[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 48 (Thursday, March 25, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3542-S3543]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   SUPPORT FOR U.S. TROOPS IN KOSOVO

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, yesterday, American men and women 
joined their military counterparts from 18 NATO countries in attacking 
the forces of Slobodan Milosevic in Yugoslavia. I had hoped that recent 
diplomatic efforts by the United States and others would have led 
instead to a peace agreement in the Balkans. However, Slobodan 
Milosevic's continued aggression toward Kosovar Albanians and his 
unwillingness to seek a lasting peace could no longer go unchecked.
  My wife and I know first hand what thousands of American families are

[[Page S3543]]

feeling today, seeing their husbands, wives, sons, or daughters in the 
military travel overseas to face combat. My son, Brooks, recently 
returned from a tour of duty with the U.S. Army in Bosnia where he was 
part of the multi-national effort to maintain peace in that war-torn 
country. The decision to commit U.S. troops overseas is never easy, nor 
should it be done without a clear understanding of our country's 
interests and goals. In the case of Kosovo, our country's interests are 
clear and warrant the current military action. A lasting peace is 
directly linked with stability in Europe, and it is our duty to 
participate in a multi-national effort to prevent the ethnic cleansing 
currently occurring in Kosovo.
  This century's major wars started in the Balkans. Hundreds of 
thousands of Americans and millions of others around the world died as 
a result of conflict in this region. Slobodan Milosevic directly 
threatens the current political and economic stability of Europe, and 
today's military action against Milosevic is necessary to prevent an 
inevitable escalation of violence. The fighting in Kosovo could easily 
spread to neighboring Montenegro, Macedonia, and Albania, and has 
already destabilized the region. A sea of ethnic Albanian refugees have 
attempted to flee Kosovo, only to be denied entry in some countries 
while further straining age-old tensions in others. There is an 
undeniable possibility for widespread conflict among Kosovo's 
neighbors, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Greece, and it is in our national 
strategic interest to prevent a fourth Balkan war.
  The United States and NATO have an opportunity to stop the cold 
blooded murders of thousands of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. Since 
Slobodan Milosevic began his reign of terror against Albanians in 
Kosovo, over 250,000 people--10 percent of the population--have been 
forced from their homes. Another 170,000 have fled the Yugoslav 
province in the past year. Milosevic's police forces and military have 
burned homes, preventing the return of entire villages. The reports of 
atrocities by Milosevic against the ethnic Albanians are sickening and 
invoke images of Bosnia and Nazi Germany. Since the first massacre of 
ethnic Albanians at Drenica, last year, thousands more ethnic Albanians 
have been killed by Serb paramilitary units and the Yugoslav Army, 
including the January 16 discovery of 45 slaughtered ethnic Albanians 
in the Kosovo village of Racak.
  While I support air strikes now to prevent further bloodshed, I will 
continue to promote diplomatic efforts to ultimately resolve this 
crisis in Kosovo. This multi-national military action will illustrate 
to Slobodan Milosevic the resolve of all democratic nations in the 
world to reject oppression, and it is my hope that Slobodan Milosevic 
will bring the people of Yugoslavia back from the brink of one man's 
madness.
  My thoughts and prayers are with our men and women overseas and their 
families here at home. I fully support their efforts to bring peace and 
stability to the region and wish them all a quick and safe return 
home.

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