IV
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. RES. 451
Calling for lasting peace, justice, and stability in Kosova.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 29, 2000
Mr. GILMAN (for himself, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. SMITH of New Jer-
sey, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. TRAFICANT, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. RANGEL,
and Mr. LEWIS of Georgia) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on International Relations
RESOLUTION
Calling for lasting peace, justice, and stability in Kosova.
Whereas on June 10, 1999, the North Atlantic Treaty Orga-
nization (NATO) military air operation in the former
Yugoslavia victoriously concluded with the withdrawal of
all Serbian police, paramilitary, and military forces from
Kosova;
Whereas, shortly following the NATO victory, nearly
1,000,000 refugees and hundreds of thousands of inter-
nally displaced persons attempted to return to their
homes in Kosova in the belief that a peaceful, stable, and
just society would be created through their diligent ef-
forts, supported by the international community;
Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244
(June 10, 1999) established the United Nations Mission
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in Kosovo (UNMIK) as the sole administration of the
province until such time as its political status is decided;
Whereas some 2,000 citizens were illegally detained and kid-
napped to Serbia by Serbian forces as they withdrew
from Kosova in violation of the Geneva Conventions and
international humanitarian law;
Whereas a provision requiring the return of these illegally de-
tained citizens of Kosova was dropped from the Military
Technical Agreement negotiated between NATO and the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in order to end the con-
flict more expeditiously;
Whereas an additional 5,000 Kosova citizens are believed to
be detained in Serbian prisons;
Whereas hundreds of Kosova Albanian citizens have been pre-
vented from returning to their homes in the divided city
of Mitrovice by Serb Kosova citizens who are believed to
be assisted by Serb paramilitaries who have illegally re-
entered Kosova;
Whereas the present international peacekeeping force in
Mitrovice has proven inadequate to perform the task of
maintaining peace and eliminating wide scale human
rights violations in that town, and there have been allega-
tions of partiality to Serb residents by elements of the
peacekeeping force;
Whereas recent violence in Mitrovice led to the expulsion of
hundreds more Albanians from their homes who have
been unable to return;
Whereas more than nine months following the establishment
of UNMIK, adequate services such as police, sanitation,
telecommunications, electricity, and water supply for the
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citizens of Kosova still are not reliably available through-
out the province;
Whereas Albanian citizens of Kosova have been prevented by
the United Nations from utilizing major economic assets
in Kosova such as the Trepca mine that could provide
needed stimulus to the economy of Kosova;
Whereas persistent deprivation and the creation of an aid
economy that is contradictory to development of a flour-
ishing free market economy is fostering criminality;
Whereas, in view of the disproportionate share of the military
costs borne by the United States during the NATO oper-
ation, the European Union has agreed that it will under-
take the major share of the costs for economic recon-
struction in Kosova;
Whereas the European Commission and the World Bank
have estimated the costs for the reconstruction of Kosova
over the next 4 to 5 years at $2,300,000,000, with nearly
half that amount available to be spent by the end of
2001;
Whereas the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Re-
lated Programs Appropriations Act, 2000 (as enacted by
section 1000(a)(2) of Public Law 106–113) capped
United States contributions for economic reconstruction
in Kosova at 15 percent of the total; and
Whereas despite its generous pledges, the European Union
has been dilatory in actually disbursing urgently required
funds for Kosova: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That—
(1) the European Union should disburse its
pledged funds for Kosova more rapidly;
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(2) pledged funds by the European Union re-
quired to provide baseline services for Kosova such
as police, sanitation, water, telecommunications, and
electrical supply should be made available imme-
diately, and the administration of these services
should be put in the hands of the people of Kosova
at the earliest possible date;
(3) the strategy for economic reconstruction in
Kosova should be focused on utilizing private invest-
ment and empowerment of the people of Kosova to
take charge of their livelihoods instead of fostering
their reliance on donated assistance;
(4) the United States Government should make
it a priority to promote noncorrupt government and
business practices in Kosova by providing judicial
training and technical advice and assistance to po-
lice, border police, and customs officers;
(5) the United Nations Security Council should
demand the immediate and unconditional return of
all Kosova citizens from Serbia; and
(6) a more capable international peacekeeping
force should be established in Mitrovice so that all
residents are able to return in security to their
homes.
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