Bob Dole: “Senator Lieberman and I are introducing this bill to lift the United States arms embargo on Bosnia which is identical to…”

“Senator Lieberman and I are introducing this bill to lift the United States arms embargo on Bosnia which is identical to the amendment the Senate passed earlier today by a vote of 50 to 49. The passage of the Dole-Lieberman amendment sends a strong message to the administration and our allies to get moving. The vote on the Dole- Lieberman amendment was close--but, the fact is there were a number of Senators who told me that while they were not ready to vote in favor today, they would be in a couple of weeks, if no action is taken by the administration and the United Nations to lift the arms embargo on Bosnia. This bill starts the clock ticking and lets the administration know that we are serious and determined. If final action is not taken on S. 2042, if the House fails to act, or if no action is taken by the administration to lift the arms embargo, we will offer this as an amendment to other bills. The bottom line is that this issue is not going away. We can't sweep justice under the carpet, we can't forfeit America's leadership role. If nothing happens during the next few weeks, we will press forward once again. The United States must lift the arms embargo on Bosnia and let the Bosnians defend themselves. Let's allow the Bosnians to decide what they want to do, and stop making decisions for them.”