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“SUPPORTING A RESOLUTION OF THE CRISIS IN KOSOVA” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1409-E1410 on July 30, 1996.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SUPPORTING A RESOLUTION OF THE CRISIS IN KOSOVA
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speech of
HON. JOHN EDWARD PORTER
of illinois
in the house of representatives
Monday, July 29, 1996
Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, as an original cosponsor of House Concurrent Resolution 155, I rise today to strongly urge its immediate passage.
Kosovo, known as Kosova to ethnic Albanians, is the region in southern Serbia which has been the focal point of bitter struggles between Serbs and Albanians for centuries. Albanians make up over 90 percent of the current population of the area. In 1989 and 1990, the Serbian parliament passed amendments to the Serbian Constitution that eliminated the wide-ranging autonomy Kosova had enjoyed under the 1974 Constitution. As a result, turmoil erupted in the country and dozens of innocent lives were lost in violent protests and riots. Over 100,000 ethnic Albanians have been fired from their employment and replaced by Serbs. Hundreds of ethnic Albanians have been arrested and beaten by Serbian police for allegedly engaging in nationalist activities. According to the State Department Country Reports on Human Rights for 1995, ``police repression continued at a high level against the ethnic Albanians of Kosova * * * and reflected a general campaign to keep
[those] who are not ethnic Serbs intimidated and unable to exercise basic human and civil rights.''
Mr. Speaker, we are still trying to cope with the unconscionable acts that occurred in Bosnia. I doubt that the men, women, and children, who were forced to live their lives for over 3 years under the constant stress of this violent conflict will ever fully recover from the terrifying experience. Many experts warn that Kosova could become the next major battleground in the former Yugoslavia, possibly drawing neighboring countries into a regional war, presenting a very real danger to regional stability. Mr. Speaker, we must do everything possible to prevent this tragedy from occurring.
This resolution aims to bring peace and stability to Kosova by insisting that the situation in Kosova must be resolved before the outer wall of sanctions against Serbia is lifted and that country is able to return to the international community. Furthermore, this resolution insists that the human rights of the people of Kosova must be restored to levels guaranteed by international law.
Just this past month, we witnessed what I believe is a positive sign that peace and prosperity lie ahead for the people of Kosova. After much urging, the United States Information Agency finally opened an office in Kosova. This is a very encouraging step, and I hope that the State Department continues to make Kosova a priority by appointing a special envoy to aid in negotiating a resolution to the crisis in Kosova.
I thank my colleague Mr. Engel for bringing the situation in Kosova to the attention of Congress, and I strongly urge my colleagues to support the passage of this resolution which will help to bring resolution of the crisis in Kosova.
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