[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 59 (Wednesday, April 28, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H2458-H2459]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




LET US PURSUE A DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION ASAP TO END THE SITUATION IN KOSOVO

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Whitfield) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, this evening the House had an emotionally 
charged debate about our policy in Kosovo, and contrary to remarks made 
after the vote, this was not a vote against the troops. This was a vote 
against the policy of this administration. All of us support the troops 
and the young men and women who are doing their duty.
  But I think it is also sad. I understand that people become so 
emotionally charged that, if they lose, they automatically say this was 
a partisan vote, and I understand that. But I think it is important to 
remember that these are very serious issues, and all of us have very 
strong feelings about them, and we may not all agree with the views of 
others.
  But I think, as we debate U.S. involvement in Kosovo, it is important 
to remember that there has been political and religious turmoil in 
Kosovo since at least 1389. The Muslim forces of the Ottoman Empire 
defeated Serb forces on the plains of Kosovo at a place called the 
Field of Black Birds, and Kosovo has been a sacred place for Muslims 
and Orthodox Serbs for generations. It is unimaginable really that 
either group would ever be forced to leave a place they consider their 
homeland.
  Now today in the New York Times and other national magazines our 
military commanders of NATO acknowledged that 5 weeks of intensive 
bombing has failed to reduce the size of the Serbian forces in Kosovo 
or in their operations against Albanians. The 4,423 bombing sorties may 
have rendered Serb air defenses ineffective, but air strikes have not 
accomplished the stated purpose, to stop the ethnic cleansing of the 
Kosovars. However innocent civilians in Belgrade, in Kosovo and other 
locations throughout Serbia and Yugoslavia have been killed by NATO air 
strikes, and the number of civilian casualties and incidents of 
misdirected weapons continues to increase. Relentless bombing has 
become ineffective, and the more it continues, the more innocent 
civilians are going to be killed and injured in Kosovo and in Serbia, 
and certainly a military action in which the only victims are civilians 
will not be long supported by the world community.
  Now I do not think we should mislead the American people. We already 
are in a quagmire in Yugoslavia, and there is no easy way out, and it 
is very complex.
  But in my view, and the reason that I have voted against the 
resolution this evening, because we have all sat by and we have watched 
these relentless air strikes that are totally destroying the 
infrastructure of Yugoslavia, and in the near future they are going to 
be coming back to America to help rebuild the country; but the reason I 
voted against the resolution tonight giving the President authority to 
continue these air strikes is because I believe that at this point 
America only has two options. One is an all-out ground war with air 
support to recapture Kosovo.

                              {time}  2115

  Now, this option would require over 75,000 ground troops, casualties 
would be inevitable, and troop presence would be essential to protect 
Kosovars for a long time once the war was completed.
  The other option is a diplomatic solution. The goal of NATO should be 
to return the Kosovars to Kosovo. A military presence will be required 
to assure their safety, and, of course, Serbian forces must be removed. 
Now, there have been some indications recently that Mr. Milosevic may 
accept and be willing and required to accept the presence of foreign 
troops in Kosovo. In fact, he alluded to that in a recent interview 
with C-SPAN.
  So I think that we have a real opportunity here through the Russians, 
through our NATO allies, through others that have contacts with Mr. 
Milosevic, to push this opportunity. I

[[Page H2459]]

hope the President and his advisers will pursue a diplomatic solution 
as soon as possible to end this situation.

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