IV

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. RES. 161

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the condition

and humanitarian needs of refugees within Kosovo.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 6, 1999

Mr. BRADY of Texas submitted the following resolution; which was referred

to the Committee on International Relations

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the condition and humanitarian needs of refugees

within Kosovo.

Whereas international humanitarian organizations such as

the International Committee of the Red Cross and the

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees provide

a vital role in assessing and responding to the humanitarian needs of refugees around the world and, most recently, of the hundreds of thousands who have fled

Kosovo;

Whereas, according to unconfirmed reports, hundreds of

thousands of refugees remain in Kosovo at risk for their

lives and requiring immediate food, shelter, and medicine;

Whereas it is the belief of the House of Representatives that

the safety and lives of these undetermined legions of ref-
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ugees within Kosovo are equal to the safety and lives of

the many refugees who have fled the region;

Whereas the international community is committed to providing humanitarian assistance to current and future

Kosovo refugees, while uncertain of how vast that need

may be;

Whereas during an April 19, 1999, interview in Belgrade

with Dr. Ron Hatchett of the University of St. Thomas,

Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic agreed to and subsequently permitted representatives of the International

Committee of the Red Cross to meet with and examine

the condition of the three captured American prisoners of

war;

Whereas in the same interview, President Milosevic agreed to

permit representatives of the International Committee of

the Red Cross and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees into Kosovo to provide aid and assess

the humanitarian needs of refugees within Kosovo and

the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia;

Whereas on May 4, 1999, with the assent of the United Nations Security Council, of which the United States is a

member, United Nation’s Secretary General Kofi Annan

initiated a United Nations interagency assessment mission to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to assess

emergency relief and rehabilitation needs within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and to identify the means for

providing such critical relief and rehabilitation assistance;

Whereas this humanitarian mission seeks to objectively assess

critical needs in the areas of human rights and protection, food, security, nutrition, health, water and sanitation, and condition of the civilian population, and also
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seeks to accurately determine the number, location, and

requirements of the people in Kosovo and the Federal

Republic of Yugoslavia needing immediate and future humanitarian aid; and

Whereas this humanitarian mission is working diligently to

depart for Kosovo and others sectors of Yugoslavia on

May 8, 1999, if appropriate security assurances are provided by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That—

2 (1) it is the sense of the House of Representa3 tives that Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic

4 should provide the necessary security assurances to

5 the United Nations interagency mission to the Fed6 eral Republic of Yugoslavia to permit them to safely

7 and accurately provide the international community

8 with an objective, first-hand assessment of the con9 dition of refugees inside of Kosovo and all sectors of

10 the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; and

11 (2) the House of Representatives encourages

12 member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Orga13 nization (NATO) to weigh the value of this humani14 tarian mission toward ending human suffering in

15 Kosovo, and to consider reasonable measures to en16 hance the safety of this international delegation dur-
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1 ing its brief humanitarian mission within the Fed2 eral Republic of Yugoslavia.

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