Dear Allan:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the situation in Kosovo. It was good to hear your thoughts on this important matter.
For centuries, the area in and around the former Yugoslavia has been one of the most unstable globally. Time and again, efforts to unify the various ethnic groups in the region have ultimately been unsuccessful under the weight of age-old rivalries and hatred. Unfortunately, Slobodan Milosevic, President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), has sparked another crisis in the region to re-fight old wars.
Milosevic, in my opinion a war criminal, has been pursuing the ethnic cleansing of the Kosovo province of the FRY for several months. His goal has been to remove the ethnic Albanian population in the region and replace it with Serbs. To that end, he has forced entire villages out of the country, massacred untold numbers of innocent people, and has looted the country of its valuables. In response, many ethnic Albanians have taken up arms to defend themselves (the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)) as well as work towards the creation of an independent Kosovo.
When diplomatic efforts by the international community to solve the current conflict failed, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) initiated a bombing campaign against the FRY. The stated goal of President Clinton's Administration when the bombing started was to bring Milosevic's agreement to the diplomatic proposal. The central component of the proposal was the enhancement of Kosovo's autonomy under the FRY and Milosevic, with the protection of the Kosovo people ensured by 28,000 to 30,000 NATO troops (including 2,000 to 4,000 American troops).
While I supported the goal of the bombing campaign--the end of the humanitarian crisis in Kosovo--I joined 41 of my colleagues in opposing the air strikes on the Senate floor. I feared that Milosevic would not respond by yielding to NATO's demands under the weight of the bombing and that he would, instead, use the strikes as a tool to further inflame Serb nationalism. I also was concerned that the Clinton Administration had not clearly articulated alternative policy options should Milosevic not come to the peace table. Unfortunately, my fears came true.
President Clinton's poor choice to begin the bombing has now forced us to make a choice between three other bad options--stop the bombing unilaterally, continue the bombing, or continue the bombing and invade with ground troops. The least bad option at this point is to continue the bombing. I vehemently oppose the use of ground troops for an invasion of Kosovo and the FRY.
Let me point out that I do not oppose ground troops because I do not think they could get the job done and decisively in the war. For from it. Our armed forces have performed magnificently throughout this crsis and I wholeheartedly admire the effort each man and woman in uniform is giving every day. They are doing the job they have been asked to do.
However, I see a situation developing in the Balkans that could quickly become unmanageable. As opposed to the flat deserts of the Persian Gulf, this is a very mountainous region that is ideal for a sustained campaign of guerilla warfare against NATO troops. Further, if we initiate a ground invasion, we will be at full-scale war with the FRY which will require us to drive to Belgrade and remove Milosevic. Finally, there are open questions regarding how the surrounding nations, in addition to Russia, will respond to this kind of attack. It is a distinct, and frightful, possibility that our actions in the Balkans could promote the rise of a nationalist, expansionist leader in Russia that could restart the Cold War.
The choices we make in the next few weeks will have a dramatic impact on the long-term peace and stability throughout Europe. I am hopeful that we will make the correct choices and I will be sure to bear your comments in mind as I review the legislative and foreign policy options before me.
Thank you again for contacting me. Please feel free to do so again if I can be of any additional assistance.
Sincerely,
George V. Voinovich
United States Senator
GVV/bb
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