Kendrick Meek: “I rise today to oppose the effort to unilaterally lift the arms embargo on Bosnia. Mr. Chairman, there is a horrible…”

“I rise today to oppose the effort to unilaterally lift the arms embargo on Bosnia. Mr. Chairman, there is a horrible tragedy happening in Bosnia. I, along with everyone else, wants that tragedy to come to an end. But Mr. Chairman, lifting the arms embargo will not end the tragedy, it will only force the United States to become an active participant. Arms, it is argued, will allow the Bosnian Moslems to defend themselves. But Mr. Chairman, what else will arms shipments do? How about end the U.N. humanitarian mission which helps feed Sarajevo? How about trigger the exit of NATO from the conflict? How about signal the entry of Serbia into the Bosnian war? Finally, Mr. Chairman, the most important result of lifting the arms embargo will be the entry of the United States into the war. We will be obligated by treaty to help our allies pull out. And we will be obligated by morality to protect the Bosnian Moslems until they can defend themselves. I strongly favor the end of the war in Bosnia, Mr. Chairman, but what price are we willing to pay to lift this embargo? Mr. Chairman, what is happening in Bosnia is a horrible tragedy. But Mr. Chairman, acting unilaterally to end the arms embargo in Bosnia will only leave the United States holding the bag. Unilaterally. I urge a 'no' vote on the bill.”