[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 39 (Monday, April 3, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E479]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E479]]
             2000 EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT

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                               speech of

                           HON. JOHN W. OLVER

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 30, 2000

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3908) making 
     emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 2000, and for other purposes:

  Mr. OLVER. Mr. Chairman, I am in strong opposition to the Kasich/
Shays/Condit amendment, which threatens unilateral withdrawal of U.S. 
forces and resources from Kosova.
  One year ago, Kosova was a rump province and ethnic cleansing project 
of Slobodan Milosevic's Greater Serbia. The world watched the 
systematic campaign of killing, rape, and forced displacement of ethnic 
Albanians, whose only crime was their religion.
  We and NATO were right to intervene, and we still have a job to do. 
The need in Kosova for peacekeeping, reconstruction and development of 
civil and judicial administration is greater than all of the promises 
by NATO and the U.S. together.
  The authors of this amendment are right in one respect. Every 
diplomatic effort to hold NATO allies to their agreement is entirely 
appropriate. But threatening to unilaterally withdraw from our freely 
given commitment just makes the peacekeeping job, so ably done by our 
deployed men and women--and the reconstruction job--a great deal 
harder. And if the threat were acted upon, God forbid, it will only 
lead to giving the final initiative back to Milosevic.
  Mr. Chairman, Secretary of State Albright has said that our challenge 
is to ``secure the peace'' in Kosova. This amendment would assure no 
peace.
  I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment.

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