IV

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. RES. 196

Urging the President to call for the United Nations to resolve the crisis

in Yugoslavia.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 27, 1999

Mr. FARR of California submitted the following resolution; which was referred

to the Committee on International Relations

RESOLUTION

Urging the President to call for the United Nations to resolve

the crisis in Yugoslavia.

1 Resolved,

2 SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

3 The House of Representatives finds the following:

4 (1) Yugoslav troops, under the authority of

5 Slobodan Milosevic, have engaged in a policy of eth6 nic cleansing throughout Kosovo.

7 (2) Ethnic Albanian Kosovars have been forced

8 from their homes and separated from their families,

9 displaced, and forced to leave the country.
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•HRES 196 IH

1 (3) Prior to North Atlantic Treaty Organization

2 (NATO) air strikes, more than 2,000 ethnic Alba3 nians were killed in Kosovo.

4 (4) Refugee reports estimate at least 5,000 eth5 nic Albanian civilians have been killed by Serb forces

6 in Kosovo between the beginning of the NATO air

7 strikes and May 18, 1999.

8 (5) The fate of as many as 225,000 ethnic Al9 banian men in Kosovo remains uncertain.

10 (6) NATO has engaged in an escalating bomb11 ing of Yugoslavia since March 24, 1999.

12 (7) The Yugoslav Government states that over

13 1,000 civilians have been killed by the NATO bomb14 ing campaign.

15 (8) NATO bombing has been successful in de16 grading the Yugoslav military capabilities.

17 (9) NATO bombing has severely damaged the

18 Yugoslav infrastructure.

19 (10) NATO bombing has demoralized Yugoslav

20 troops, large numbers of which are deserting.

21 (11) NATO bombing has weakened the author22 ity of Slobodan Milosevic as a national leader.

23 (12) Slobodan Milosevic is coming under pres24 sure from within Yugoslavia to take action that

25 would lead to a cessation of the NATO bombing.
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•HRES 196 IH

1 (13) The United Nations is recognized as the

2 primary international forum to discuss solutions to

3 international problems or disputes.

4 (14) The United States has been a member of

5 the United Nations for 54 years.

6 (15) Under the United Nations Charter, the

7 United Nations Security Council has primary re8 sponsibility for maintaining international peace and

9 security.

10 (16) The North Atlantic Treaty, the treaty that

11 established NATO, explicitly acknowledges that the

12 United Nations has primary responsibility for main13 taining international peace and security.

14 SEC. 2. DECLARATION OF POLICY.

15 The House of Representatives declares that—

16 (1) the United States should work with the

17 United Nations as the primary conduit for a peace18 ful solution to the crisis in Yugoslavia; and

19 (2) the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

20 (NATO) should cease air strikes in Yugoslavia in

21 order to give the United Nations the necessary win22 dow of opportunity to bring peace to the people of

23 Kosovo.
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•HRES 196 IH

1 SEC. 3. SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES RE2 LATING TO UNITED NATIONS INVOLVEMENT

3 IN RESOLVING THE CRISIS IN YUGOSLAVIA.

4 It is the sense of the House of Representatives that

5 the President should engage the United Nations as an

6 intermediary in meaningful negotiations between NATO

7 and Slobodan Milosevic to—

8 (1) bring an end to the NATO bombing in

9 Yugoslavia;

10 (2) end the intimidation and expulsion of the

11 Kosovo civilian population;

12 (3) cease all activities of the Yugoslav military

13 and paramilitary forces in Kosovo and to withdraw

14 those forces;

15 (4) facilitate the return of refugees and dis16 placed persons to their homes; and

17 (5) deploy an international peacekeeping force

18 to ensure a secure environment for the refugees and

19 humanitarian aid.

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