[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 125 (Tuesday, October 10, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H9589-H9592]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CALLING FOR LASTING PEACE, JUSTICE, AND STABILITY IN KOSOVO
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
resolution (H. Res. 451) calling for lasting peace, justice, and
stability in Kosovo, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
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 after the NATO victory, the international community
mobilized assistance that helped feed and house more than
1,000,000 Kosova refugees before the first post-war winter;
Whereas 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 an additional 5,000 Kosova citizens are believed to
be detained in Serbian prisons;
Whereas the international mission in Kosova successfully
negotiated an agreement with the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)
to disband and publicly hand over its weapons;
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 although the initiation of the recent operation
between the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosova (KFOR) and
UNMIK to confirm international authority throughout northern
Kosova is welcomed, KFOR and UNMIK must fully implement their
plan and take appropriate action to ensure that all residents
are able to return to their homes;
Whereas the United Nations and the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have set the date
for local municipal elections in Kosova for October 28, 2000;
Whereas the assertion of authority over the Trepca mining
complex by UNMIK is welcomed and an assessment of its
environmental hazards and financial viability should proceed
as quickly as possible in order to maximize employment for
Kosovar citizens;
Whereas although daily life in Kosova in the summer of 2000
is significantly improved in comparison to the violence,
devastation, and chaos that plagued the region during armed
conflict in 1999, more must be done to develop a self-
sustaining economy that discourages the rise of criminal
elements;
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; and
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 pledges of assistance for Kosova at the subsequent
Kosova donors conference at 15 percent of the total resources
pledged by all donors: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That--
(1) the European Union should continue to bear the primary
responsibility and costs for the economic reconstruction of
Kosova, and take all necessary steps to ensure that its
future budgets provide the required resources in a timely
fashion;
(2) the administration of all baseline services such as
police, sanitation, water, telecommunications, and electrical
supply should be put into 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;
(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 prisoners
from Serbia;
(6) the international peacekeeping force in Mitrovice
should take immediate measures to ensure that all the
residents are able to return in security to their homes;
(7) all the citizens of Kosova should avail themselves of
the opportunity to democratically express their political
preferences by participating in the elections on October 28,
2000;
[[Page H9590]]
(8) the resolve of the international community to work
towards lasting peace, stability, and justice in Kosova will
not be deterred by Slobodan Milosevic's provocations within
the region; and
(9) all citizens of Kosova should adhere to the principles
enunciated by community leaders at the Airlie House
declaration of July 23, 2000, where all parties agreed to a
rigorous Campaign Against Violence, representation of all
citizens in municipal councils, surrendering of illegal
weapons, a commitment to counter Slobodan Milosevic's
influence in Kosova, and to dissolve any other illegitimate
governing and security structures.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Gilman) and the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr.
Faleomavaega) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman).
General Leave
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
on H.Res. 451.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
(Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have brought this measure to the floor of
the House in order to call attention to some continuing problems in the
international community's efforts to bring about a stable, just, and a
lasting peace to the people of Kosovo.
The Committee on International Relations approved this measure
without dissent and it represents a bipartisan consensus on the part of
our committee members on how to redress some of the difficulties in
Kosovo. I ask all our House colleagues to join with us today in
supporting H. Res. 451.
Our principal concern is that the international community, rather
than fostering a self-reliant, prosperous Kosovar-run Kosovo, is
creating a new international dependency hooked on assistance funds and
the presence of numerous international aid workers.
What seems to have been overlooked in the current approach is the
fact that prior to the move to strip away Kosovo's political autonomy
in 1989, and even during the decade of oppression the Kosovars suffered
under Milosevic, the Kosovar people demonstrated a remarkable amount of
initiative and economic skill. These characteristics should be part of
our strategy in restoring Kosovo's economy.
Another problem is the plight of thousands of Kosovars who are being
illegally detained in Serbia. Some of these individuals were taken in
the final hours of Serbia's sway over Kosovo last June as virtual
hostages. They include some of the leading intellectual lights of
Kosovar society: doctors, lawyers, journalists and teachers.
The fact that the international community has remained nearly mute in
the face of their continued detention is disappointing, and the refusal
of the U.N. Security Council to demand their immediate release is
troubling and unacceptable.
Until the Kosovar detainees have been released and accounted for, no
real peace will be able to come to Kosovo. I would hope that the new
government in Serbia under President Kostunica will cooperate in
remedying this tragic situation.
The important industrial town of Mitrovice remains a divided city
where international peacekeepers have been unable to return hundreds of
ethnic Albanian residents to their homes. Failure to resolve this issue
leaves the shadow of possible partition hanging over Kosovo.
Another problem in the U.N.'s approach to the Kosovo mission is the
issue of who should be able to control and operate important economic
assets such as the Trepca mines. Although there have been recent steps
to explore reopening this most important economic asset for many
months, the U.N. did not take any action because of its fears that Serb
ownership would be an obstacle.
Elections have been scheduled in 30 municipalities throughout Kosovo
for October 28. This resolution calls upon all the citizens of Kosovo
to avail themselves of the Democratic process and to peacefully express
their political preferences. Let us hope that the adoption of this
resolution and those upcoming elections will provide the beginning of
the journey to a lasting and just peace in Kosovo.
Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the House to
support H. Res. 451.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman
from New York (Mr. Engel) one of the original cosponsors of this
legislation.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from American Samoa for
yielding me the time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.Res. 451. I am an original
cosponsor. I commend the chairman of our Committee on International
Relations for sponsoring this resolution and for the work that he has
done on Kosovo and on so many other wonderful things in the House
Committee on International Relations, and I am honored to cosponsor
this resolution with him.
This calls for lasting peace, justice, and stability in Kosovo. And
it is something that is still illusive even after the successful
American intervention there where we prevented lives from being lost,
we prevented ethnic cleansing and genocide. I am very, very proud of
the role that this country and this Congress have played in saving the
Kosovar people, the people of Kosovo.
I rise in strong support of this resolution because although the
international community talks a good game, the European Union has not
met its pledges even though it has contributed the majority of the
funding for Kosovo reconstruction. This resolution calls upon the EEU
to do so.
As the resolution states, police, sanitation, telecommunications,
electricity and water supply have not been adequately put forth for the
people of Kosovo. It is too long. It must end.
This resolution also calls, as the chairman pointed out, for the
immediate return of all Kosovar prisoners still being held in Serbia.
There are still hundreds of Kosovars in Serb jails, perhaps thousands,
including Flora Brovina and Albin Kurti. They should be freed
immediately and returned to their families in Kosovo.
It is an outrage that when the Serbs were retreating from Kosovo they
captured Kosovar Albanians and imprisoned them, dragged them to
Belgrade, dragged them into Serbia, and imprisoned them where they
remain today. These people should be freed immediately.
This resolution also gives Congress an opportunity to discuss broader
issues. I and all Americans congratulate the Serbian people for the
birth of democracy in their land and for finally running their
murderous leader, Milosevic, out of office.
Yet, while the United States is certainly pleased of the changes in
Serbia, there are significant issues which we must consider. The most
important is the question of sanctions. We must be open to the new
Democratically elected government in Serbia. President Kostunica needs
the opportunity to succeed. Lifting some sanctions should be on the
table, but lifting all should not.
I agree with the actions of the Clinton administration maintaining
visa restrictions against Milosevic and his lieutenants, but I am also
concerned about lowering the outer wall of sanctions. Those must remain
on Serbia.
We have withheld international financial institution assistance
because Belgrade was opposing the work of the International War Crimes
Tribunal and denying Kosovars the right to self-determination. For the
outer wall to crumble while President Kostunica rejects the tribunal,
and he is rejecting it still, and Serbia is still acting as though
nothing happened in Kosovo, is unwise.
The new government in Belgrade must recognize the new reality in
Kosovo. After the thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of wounded,
it remains extremely difficult to ever imagine Kosovo again as part of
Serbia. Kosovo deserves the opportunity to be dependent and the outer
wall of sanctions against Serbia should remain in place until Serbia is
prepared to be part of a solution, not the problem, in Kosovo.
[[Page H9591]]
Independence for Kosovo is something that is right. And as the
chairman pointed out, elections are being held later on this month and
it will be the first opportunity for Kosovars to participate in
democracy. And I would urge all of them do so. And that ought to be the
first step in a free and independent and democratic Kosovo.
There are still, however, many problems. Mitrovice is a divided city.
The Serbs have occupied the mines and have not allowed the Albanian
Kosovars to be able to establish any kind of economic viability because
of the occupation of these mines. Those mines are part of Kosovo and
should not be occupied by the Serbs.
Mitrovice should not be a divided city. Albanians there are being
prevented from returning to their homes. That must not stand.
Finally, Belgrade must finally recognize the independence of Bosnia.
Until Belgrade gives up on controlling lands on both sides of the Drina
River and establishes permanent diplomatic relations with Bosnia, the
Yugoslav state succession question will still fester.
And by the way, while we are saying that the Kosovars have the right
to self-determination and independence, and they must have that right,
I believe the Montenegrins have as well.
Yugoslavia is a fallacy. Serbia continues to keep the Montenegrins as
part of so-called Yugoslavia and continues the fallacy that Kosovo is
part of Yugoslavia. The Kosovar Albanians and the Montenegrins should
have the right to self-determination and should have the right to
establish their own democratic nations if they so desire.
Therefore, while I rise in favor of this important resolution, I urge
my colleagues to keep in mind the bigger picture in the form
Yugoslavia. I urge all my colleagues to support H. Res. 451.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) the distinguished chairman of our
Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) for his leadership in bringing
this very important resolution to the floor today and to my good
friends on the minority side and the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr.
Faleomavaega) for his leadership and the gentleman form Connecticut
(Mr. Gejdenson).
This is the time for us to make this statement, and I think we are
doing it collectively as a Congress. Hopefully our voices will be heard
in Serbia.
Mr. Speaker, I am an original cosponsor of H. Res. 451 and I strongly
support its passage here today.
In a series of hearings that we held on the Helsinki Commission,
which I chair, the atrocities committed in Kosovo by Yugoslav and
Serbian forces have been very amply documented and the continued
incarceration of Kosovar Albanians in Serbian prisons were detailed in
very numbing detail.
The culpability of Milosevic for war crimes and crimes against
humanity for which he has been indicted have also been made clear. It
is also obvious that there is an unacceptable lack of security in
Kosovo, evident in the frequent instances of violence and destruction
in the period since the conflict ended.
Last week, Mr. Speaker, major change finally came to Yugoslavia. The
people voted to throw Slobodan Milosevic out of office. And when he
would not leave, they took to the streets to make clear that they had
had enough.
While President Kostunica takes a nationalist point of view, he
nevertheless appears willing to work towards democracy and the rule of
law rather than create more problems.
I was pleased to hear that he has already indicated his willingness
to look into the cases of Kosovar Albanians who right now, today, are
languishing in Serbian prisons.
{time} 2100
I believe he will, and every friend of democracy fully expects him to
do the right thing. At one of our Helsinki Commission hearings, we
heard terrible testimony, horrible conditions about these people who
have been held in these terrible prisons, Kosovar Albanians who have
committed no crimes. We ask, we demand that they be released now,
immediately. Let the Albanians go.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, I think it is critical that we strongly
condemn all of the violence which is occurring in Kosovo today
regardless of the ethnicity of the victim, regardless of the ethnicity
of the culprit. I have been a strong critic of Serbian repression in
Kosovo in the past. As a matter of fact, when I met Milosevic the first
time in Belgrade in the early 1990s, I raised the issue of his police,
his thugs who are committing egregious abuses against the Kosovar
Albanians and called on him and his thugs to stop it. But let me also
say that none of us want to accept any wanton acts of violence whether
it be revenge against Serbs or other members of minorities in Kosovo.
Therefore, and I think this is important in the resolution, the
Campaign Against Violence mentioned in this resolution is absolutely
critical for all sides to accept and to implement. I would hope that
the Albanians will criticize Albanians and Serbs will criticize Serbs
when that Campaign Against Violence is transgressed. We need peaceful
nonviolence in Kosovo and in Serbia. This resolution calls on all
parties to stand down.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Smith) for his eloquent support of this measure.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Again my compliments and commendation to the gentleman from New York
(Mr. Gilman), the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), the gentleman
from New York (Mr. Engel) and certainly the chairman of our
Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights, the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for their primary sponsorship of
this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this measure which enjoys
strong bipartisan support. It is also supported by the administration.
Congressional oversight of policy in Kosovo is remiss if it only looks
at the inevitable problems that follow 40 years of communism, 10 years
of apartheid and 1 year of brutal armed aggression. Responsible
oversight must also recognize achievements as well as goals for future
progress.
After the NATO victory, the international community mobilized
assistance that helped feed and house more than one million Kosovo
refugees before the first postwar winter. The international mission in
Kosovo successfully negotiated an agreement with the Kosovo Liberation
Army to disband and publicly hand over its weapons.
Although daily life in Kosovo has significantly improved compared to
the violence, devastation and chaos that plagued the region during
armed conflict a year ago, more must be done, Mr. Speaker, to develop a
self-sustaining economy that discourages the rise of criminal elements.
The European Union must also continue to bear the primary
responsibility and costs for the economic reconstruction of Kosovo and
take all necessary steps to ensure that its future budgets provide the
required resources in a timely fashion.
Mr. Speaker, the administration of all basic services such as police,
sanitation, water, telecommunications and electrical supply should be
put into the hands of the people of Kosovo at the earliest possible
date. The international peacekeeping force in Mitrovica should take
immediate measures to ensure that all the residents are able to return
in security to their homes. And, most importantly, all citizens of
Kosovo should follow the principles enunciated by community leaders at
the Airlie House declaration of July 23 of this year which included
antiviolence, representation of all citizens in local councils,
surrendering illegal weapons, a commitment to counter Slobodan
Milosevic's influence in Kosovo as well as dissolving any other
illegitimate governing and security structures.
Mr. Speaker, the winds of democratic change have swept through the
region in recent days and months, bringing in democratic reform in
Croatia and toppling Slobodan Milosevic from controlling Serbia. In the
wake of these dramatic events, the resolution before the House today
supports greater progress towards reconciliation within Kosovo and
between the member nations of
[[Page H9592]]
southeast Europe to build a community of cooperating democracies and
growing free market economies.
Again I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from American
Samoa for his support of this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pease). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) that the House
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, House Resolution 451, as
amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was
agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________