[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 37 (Wednesday, March 29, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E437]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E437]]



 INTRODUCTION OF H. RES. 451 CALLING FOR PEACE, JUSTICE, AND STABILITY 
                               IN KOSOVA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 29, 2000

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of a distinguished group of co-
sponsors, I am today introducing a Resolution of the House calling for 
a review of our policies in Kosova so that we can consider changes in 
order to fulfill the goal of our government and of the international 
community in bringing about conditions for a lasting, just, and stable 
peace for its beleaguered people.
  Recent reports from Kosova indicate that our effort there is not 
progressing well. We are introducing this resolution to suggest areas 
of this effort that need to be immediately addressed to improve our 
prospects for success.
  The continued detention in Serbia of thousands of Kosovar Albanians, 
many of whom are doctors, lawyers and teachers, has dismayed the 
Kosovar people who believed that, when NATO ended its operation against 
Serbia and declared victory, the abuses of their human rights by the 
brutal regime of Slobodan Milosevic would also end. Now, more than nine 
months later, the families and friends of those illegally imprisoned 
still suffer the anguish of separation and uncertainty as to the fate 
of their loved ones. The continuation of this outrageous situation has 
undermined the faith of the Kosovar people in the international 
community's commitment to human rights and is a major source of the 
unrest that continues to frustrate our objective of establishing full 
peace in Kosova.
  Similarly, the situation in the divided city of Mitrovice, has also 
undermined the effort to bring peace to Kosova. Thousands of Kosovar 
ethnic Albanians have been unable to return to their homes in the 
northern part of Mitrovice since the beginning of the NATO peacekeeping 
mission last June. Hundreds more have been driven from their homes by 
Serb residents assisted by Serbian paramilitaries since NATO 
established its presence. The injustice of this situation calls into 
question our credibility when the international community speaks of 
respect for human rights, ending ethnic cleansing, and adhering to UN 
Resolution 1244, which if enforced, would have prevented this.
  Efforts to re-start the economy of Kosova have not borne fruit. We 
believe that this is mostly the product of a flawed approach on the 
part of the United Nations Administration in Kosova and the European 
Union which has taken on the responsibility for economic reconstruction 
there. The people of Kosova have demonstrated their business acumen and 
their entrepreneurial abilities despite a decade of apartheid-like 
conditions under Serbian misrule. What they need is economic 
empowerment, not charity through well-intentioned, but misguided 
conventional assistance projects. The UN should not allow the question 
of the ultimate political status of Kosova, impede Kosova's economy. 
The people of Kosova should be given access to all of Kosova's economic 
assets--electric grids, agricultural properties, and, most important, 
to the Trepca mines--the single most valuable economic asset in Kosova.
  As support for the international effort in Kosova is being undermined 
by the slow pace of change, this resolution is being introduced to 
point to a different course for the international community. Withdrawal 
is not an option. We believe that consideration of an alternative 
approach, hopefully one that can genuinely achieve our espoused 
objectives--lasting peace, justice, and stability for Kosova, and 
therefore for the Balkans--is the correct policy. As Senator John 
McCain eloquently stated on March 21, 2000, ``Despite the unacceptable 
circumstances of the weak and endangered peace in Kosovo, it is 
infinitely preferable to the widespread atrocities committed during the 
course of Serbian aggression, atrocities that would surely reoccur were 
NATO to fail in our current mission.''
  I invite my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join in 
supporting this critical resolution.

                              H. Res. 451

       Whereas on June 10, 1999, the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization (NATO) military air operation in the former 
     Yugoslavia victoriously concluded with the withdrawal of all 
     Serbian police, paramilitary, and military forces from 
     Kosova;
       Whereas, shortly following the NATO victory, nearly 
     1,000,000 refugees and hundreds of thousands of internally 
     displaced persons attempted to return to their homes in 
     Kosova in the belief that a peaceful, stable, and just 
     society would be created through their diligent efforts, 
     supported by the international community;
       Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 
     (June 10, 1999) established the United Nations Mission in 
     Kosovo (UNMIK) as the sole administration of the province 
     until such time as its political status is decided;
       Whereas some 2,000 citizens were illegally detained and 
     kidnapped to Serbia by Serbian forces as they withdrew from 
     Kosova in violation of the Geneva Conventions and 
     international humanitarian law;
       Whereas a provision requiring the return of these illegally 
     detained citizens of Kosova was dropped from the Military 
     Technical Agreement negotiated between NATO and the Federal 
     Republic of Yugoslavia in order to end the conflict more 
     expeditiously;
       Whereas an additional 5,000 Kosova citizens are believed to 
     be detained in Serbian prisons;
       Whereas hundreds of Kosova Albanian citizens have been 
     prevented from returning to their homes in the divided city 
     of Mitrovice by Serb Kosova citizens who are believed to be 
     assisted by Serb paramilitaries who have illegally re-entered 
     Kosova;
       Whereas the present international peacekeeping force in 
     Mitrovice has proven inadequate to perform the task of 
     maintaining peace and eliminating wide scale human rights 
     violations in that town, and there have been allegations of 
     partiality to Serb residents by elements of the peacekeeping 
     force;
       Whereas recent violence in Mitrovice led to the expulsion 
     of hundreds more Albanians from their homes who have been 
     unable to return;
       Whereas more than nine months following the establishment 
     of UNMIK, adequate services such as police, sanitation, 
     telecommunications, electricity, and water supply for the 
     citizens of Kosova still are not reliably available 
     throughout the province;
       Whereas Albanian citizens of Kosova have been prevented by 
     the United Nations from utilizing major economic assets in 
     Kosova such as the Trepca mine that could provide needed 
     stimulus to the economy of Kosova;
       Whereas persistent deprivation and the creation of an aid 
     economy that is contradictory to development of a flourishing 
     free market economy is fostering criminality;
       Whereas, in view of the disproportionate share of the 
     military costs borne by the United States during the NATO 
     operation, the European Union has agreed that it will 
     undertake the major share of the costs for economic 
     reconstruction in Kosova;
       Whereas the European Commission and the World Bank have 
     estimated the costs for the reconstruction of Kosova over the 
     next 4 to 5 years at 2,300,000,000, with nearly half that 
     amount available to be spent by the end of 2001;
       Whereas the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and 
     Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2000 (as enacted by 
     section 1000(a)(2) of Public Law 106-113) capped United 
     States contributions for economic reconstruction in Kosova at 
     15 percent of the total; and
       Whereas despite its generous pledges, the European Union 
     has been dilatory in actually disbursing urgently required 
     funds for Kosova: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That--
       (1) the European Union should disburse its pledged funds 
     for Kosova more rapidly;
       (2) pledged funds by the European Union required to provide 
     baseline services for Kosova such as police, sanitation, 
     water, telecommunications, and electrical supply should be 
     made available immediately, and the administration of these 
     services should be put in the hands of the people of Kosova 
     at the earliest possible date;
       (3) the strategy for economic reconstruction in Kosova 
     should be focused on utilizing private investment and 
     empowerment of the people of Kosova to take charge of their 
     livelihoods instead of fostering their reliance on donated 
     assistance;
       (4) the United States Government should make it a priority 
     to promote noncorrupt government and business practices in 
     Kosova by providing judicial training and technical advice 
     and assistance to police, border police, and customs 
     officers;
       (5) the United Nations Security Council should demand the 
     immediate and unconditional return of all Kosova citizens 
     from Serbia; and
       (6) a more capable international peacekeeping force should 
     be established in Mitrovice so that all residents are able to 
     return in security to their homes.





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