Bob Dole: “At this moment, several thousand United States troops and their equipment are headed for Europe to positions near Bosnia…”

“At this moment, several thousand United States troops and their equipment are headed for Europe to positions near Bosnia and Herzegovina. Tomorrow the Armed Services Committee will hold hearings on this deployment and U.S. policy. On Thursday the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will also conduct hearings to learn about current United States policy toward Bosnia. These hearings are of critical importance--not only because of the seriousness of sending American ground forces into harm's way, but because of the continued confusion over U.S. policy. Last Wednesday, at the Air Force Academy, the President stated, and I quote: I believe we should be prepared to assist NATO if it decides to meet a request from the United Nations troops for help in a withdrawal or a reconfiguration and a strengthening of its forces. But, a few days later, in his weekly radio address, the President stated that in addition to assisting in the withdrawal of UNPROFOR, the United States may send ground troops in the 'highly unlikely event' that part of the U.N. force became 'stranded and could not get out of a particular place in Bosnia' and need 'emergency extraction.' The President added that such an emergency operation would be 'limited and temporary.' The first question each of the committees must ask is what is U.S. policy today. Is it to help strengthen and reconfigure U.N. forces, or is it to assist in 'emergency extraction'?”