Dear Allan:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the current political and humanitarian crisis in the Yugoslav province of Kosovo. I appreciate hearing from you on this very troubling subject.
As you know, the territory that is now the province of Kosovo has been the site of conflict between Orthodox Serbs and Albanian Muslims for centuries. Since the end of World War II, Kosovo existed as a relatively autonomous province within the Republic of Serbia until 1990, when the Serbian government eliminated Kosovo's autonomy completely and abolished Kosovo's parliament and government.
In response, the largely Albanian majority in Kosovo has waged a non-violent protest against the Serb government and its leader, Slobodan Milosevic, and built their own parallel set of political and social institutions. However, beginning in February 1998, violence broke out between Serb police and a militant Albanian organization, the Kosova Liberation Army (KLA). Since then, the situation in Kosovo has gotten progressively worse. There is strong evidence of ethnic cleansing of Albanian Kosovars by Serb police forces, and to date, as many as half of the 1.6 million Albanian Kosovars who reside in the province have been displaced from their homes and villages, with the vast majority now in Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro. The European continent has not seen a humanitarian crisis of this magnitude since the Jewish Holocaust.
Earlier this year, the 19-member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which includes the U.S., concluded that it can no longer allow the continuation of violence and forced removal of Albanian Kosovars. Efforts to achieve a peace agreement were unsuccessful. Instead, the violence and the numbers of refugees have increased. In response, NATO has initiated a military air campaign designed to compel the Serbs to cease violent actions against the Kosovars, withdraw their forces, and work toward a peaceful resolution.
On March 23, 1999, the Senate voted 58-41 to authorize the President to conduct a military air campaign against Serbia. I supported this resolution. I believe that Mr. Milosevic's continued massive ethnic cleansing campaign and the resulting humanitarian refugee crisis could provoke a broader conflict in Europe. We have worked for most of this century with our European allies to secure peace across the continent. Our ability to maintain this peace and to prevent conflict will only be successful if we support our armed forces during this difficult time, and show no tolerance for the kind of ethnic violence and hatred in Kosovo.
At this time, Congress may consider several legislative measures relating to the crisis in Kosovo. Like you, I strongly support our men and women who serve in our military. We need to give them the resources they need to complete their mission and return home as quickly as possible. If Congress considers any proposals on Kosovo, I will keep your views in mind.
Very respectfully yours,
Mike DeWine
United States Senator
RMD/rph/mjh
Al Colombo's Letter 1
Al Colombo's Letter 2
Back To The Congressional Menu
Back To The Main Menu
Send Mail To alcolombo@yahoo.com