Cord Byrd: “the original amendment by Senator Hutchison and myself does not set troop levels. The original amendment offered by…”

“the original amendment by Senator Hutchison and myself does not set troop levels. The original amendment offered by Senator Hutchison and myself does not cut off money for the troops. The original amendment by Senator Hutchison and myself does not withdraw troops from Bosnia. The original amendment by Senator Hutchison and myself sets no termination date for withdrawal of American troops from Bosnia. It does not jerk the rug out from under our troops. The amendment which the distinguished Senator from Texas, Mrs. Hutchison, and I would have offered and may offer at another time on some bill provides that the President--the Commander in Chief, if you will--submit to Congress a report, a plan, no later than February 2, 1999, for reducing the military personnel of the United States in Bosnia to an average of the numbers of troops that Great Britain, France, Italy and Germany have in Bosnia, the other members of the contact group--an average--and that that reduction occur by February 2 of the year 2000. That is not setting troop levels. That is not withdrawing American troops. We are saying, ``We'll stay there with you; we'll stay there, but it's about time that the other members of NATO take on a greater part of the burden.'' After all, this situation has developed in their own backyard, not in ours. We are not saying we are going to withdraw. We are not suggesting that the money be terminated.…”