[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 37 (Friday, March 7, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E410]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       MISCELLANEOUS TRADE AND TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS ACT OF 2003

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 5, 2003

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, a decade ago we began witnesses 
to genocide in Europe. By stirring up nationalism, harassing opposition 
and intimidating the population as a whole to go along with his plans, 
the regime of Slobodan Milosevic led Serbia into a war of aggression 
against its neighbors within the former Yugoslavia. Millions were 
displaced, hundreds of thousands killed and tens of thousands raped or 
tortured, particularly in Bosnia-Herzegovina. In response, largely at 
the urging of the U.S. Congress, sanctions were put into place and, 
ultimately, military intervention was employed to stop Milosevic.
  In 2000, the voters of Serbia removed Milosevic from power. In place 
of his regime, an opposition consisting of genuine reformers and true 
democrats along with a fair share of Serbian nationalists took control 
of government. Since that time, the ruling opposition fell into 
polarized camps, making recovery and reform difficult. This situation 
also created a challenge in U.S. foreign policy. On the one hand, the 
United States wants to encourage Belgrade and facilitate reform. On the 
other, the United States must ensure that the legacy of Slobodan 
Milosevic has been fully shed, a prerequisite for recovery throughout 
southeastern Europe.
  The Miscellaneous Tariff Bill, H.R. 1047, considered yesterday 
contains a provision granting the President the authority to restore 
normalized trade relations for Serbia and Montenegro. I support this 
provision; normalized trade relations should be restored. Whatever 
problems might remain, the fact is that there has been progress since 
Milosevic was removed from power, and Serbia and Montenegro should not 
be placed on the same list of states not granted normalized trade 
relations as Cuba, North Korea or Laos. Other countries with far worse 
records, including Belarus and the Central Asian states, at least 
receive the benefits of normalized trade relations on a conditional 
basis which Serbia and Montenegro is denied.
  By fixing this, I hope Belgrade recognizes that we want reforms to 
succeed and recovery and reform take place.
  Belgrade also needs to know, Mr. Speaker, that restoring NTR does not 
mean satisfaction with Belgrade's performance to date. While there has 
been progress, that progress has been too slow, and some issues remain 
unresolved. Chief among these issues is Belgrade continued resistance 
to full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the 
Former Yugoslavia, located in The Hague. It is especially outrageous 
that persons responsible for the crimes committed at Vukovar and 
Srebrenica continue to be at large and perhaps even protected by 
Yugoslav or Serbian authorities.
  While trade relations may not be conditioned on further progress, 
U.S. bilateral assistance to Serbia is. If there is not a major 
improvement in Belgrade's cooperation with The Hague by June 15, 
assistance to Serbia will stop. The Administration must certify 
progress before assistance continues past that date, and the State 
Department has made clear that a precondition for certification is the 
apprehension and transfer of Ratko Mladic, indicted for the massacre of 
thousands at Srebrenica, and Veselin Sljivancanin and Miroslav Radic, 
indicted for their role in the massacre of about 200 individuals taken 
from a hospital in Vukovar, Croatia.
  As co-chairman of the Helsinki Commission, I urge Belgrade not only 
to meet their international obligations relating to ICTY not just to 
the point of obtaining certification for another year. Cooperation 
should be full. Only then can the conditionality on assistance be 
removed for good.

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