Dear Mr. Colombo
Thank you for contacting my office regarding events in Yugoslavia. I share your concern and appreciate hearing from you.
As you are well aware, the conflict between Kosovar and Serbia dates back hundreds of years and involves deep-seated national and cultural identities. Yugoslavia has resisted demands for Kosovar autonomy with tactics that are condemned by nations committed to human rights and self-determination. At the same time, the Kosovars have responded by forming the Kosovar Liberation Army to fight for independence of the region.
Despite this long history of discord, I still believe that the Clinton Administration did not fully analyze all the options available to NATO, nor did they fully comprehend the response of Slobodon Milosevic and the Serbian people. The negotiations which took place over a number of weeks in Rambouillet, France were predicated on Milosevic accepting full autonomy for Kosovar or facing NATO airstrikes. Once the negotiations collapsed NATO found itself with no other choice but to begin airstrikes.
This is a disturbing characteristic of our foreign policy decision-making process. The need to strengthen or preserve NATO should not be the reason to go forward with military action against Yugoslavia or to undertake any military mission. While I agree with analysts that Milosevic had long planned to rid Kosovar of its Albanian population, the airstrikes have not prevented him from doing so and reports from the area leave little doubt as to the difficulty of being able to repatriate these refugees to their homes.
Military analysts have discussed the need for ground troops, assessing that an air campaign alone is insufficient to meet NATO objectives. Even though the White House has stated that this is not an option, I believe this position is being taken for political reasons and not military ones. I have very grave misgivings about committing US ground forces in the absence of clear, achievable objectives and the support of the American public.
I believe this conflict is primarily a European one that should be addressed through European leadership. The inability of the European nations to deal with this crisis has directly resulted in our involvement. Furthermore, I believe the United States should have been stronger in insisting that Europe resolve this problem on their own. American leadership does not necessarily mean getting involved in every conflict around the world. It also means allowing regions of the world to resolve their problems without their becoming wider-ranging in nature.
There is much discussion now in Congress to vote on various resolutions either supporting or opposing the use of ground troops. As an original sponsor of the War Powers Resolution, I believe Congress must have the authority to approve the commitment of troops. However, until the President actually requests the use of ground troops, I do not believe the Congress needs to provide him with the authority in advance.
I am closely monitoring the situation and will keep your thoughtful comments in mind.
With best wishes, I am
Sincerely,
Ralph Regula, M.C.
RR/cv
Al Colombo's Letter 1
Al Colombo's Letter 2
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