[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 60 (Thursday, April 29, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H2527]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         A PEACEFUL RESOLUTION TO THE SITUATION IN THE BALKANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Metcalf) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. METCALF. Mr. Speaker, I hope we are all here well informed of the 
efforts of our colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon), 
to bring about a peaceful solution to the situation in the Balkans. In 
the light of yesterday's votes on the Balkans, I believe this effort 
should be immediately embraced by the administration.
  Mr. Speaker, I am astounded that the administration choose not to 
support the attempts of the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon) at 
finding a peaceful solution to the crisis in Kosovo. The decision by 
the administration leads me to reluctantly conclude that they are 
determined to prosecute a war in Kosovo regardless of costs. The 
attempt by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon) in coordination 
with the Russian Duma should have been wholeheartedly embraced by this 
administration as a means to ensure the safety of not only the 
Kosovars, but our men and women in uniform carrying out the NATO 
mission. I can think of no reason why the administration would reject 
the efforts of the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon) and the 
members of the Russian Duma. The agreement, if successful, would 
establish a cease-fire under conditions first proposed by the NATO 
countries.
  Now, if the NATO requirements were dismissed in the proposal and 
unsatisfactory ones drafted, I could understand that the administration 
would be unable or unwilling to support it. But a rejection of a 
potential agreement with the NATO conditions as a prerequisite is 
unimaginable.
  It is essential for this Congress to accept its responsibility to our 
men and women in uniform and ensure that their safety is the paramount 
concern of the United States. Unfortunately, with the administration's 
rejection of the potential peace initiative I cannot be sure that it is 
theirs.
  The United States does not have a vital interest in the Balkans. We 
have not been presented with clear objectives, any specific mission or 
even a coherent exit strategy. Now the administration is choosing 
military action over peace.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage all my colleagues to support the efforts of 
the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon) in the Balkans.

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