Alcee Hastings: “I think the timing is poor, and I agree and associate myself with the remarks of the previous speaker with reference to…”

“I think the timing is poor, and I agree and associate myself with the remarks of the previous speaker with reference to the preserving of the process. That said, the question is, why would we act unilaterally in declaring war with Yugoslavia? Presently, we are not at war with Yugoslavia; we are engaged in an international mission to bring about peace in Yugoslavia. A unilateral declaration of war would signal that the United States was intensifying the war, while others were fighting for more limited objectives. OSCE and NATO this past week confirmed as our partners the objectives that we have set forth. Why, then, would we destroy our credibility with NATO and destroy NATO's credibility? I suggest that we defeat this declaration.”