Richard Gephardt: “after 78 long days, the United States and its NATO allies have won a major victory over the forces of instability and…”

“after 78 long days, the United States and its NATO allies have won a major victory over the forces of instability and inhumanity. Today, we are trying to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. We have won the war. Serbian troops are withdrawing from Kosovo under the exact terms that we have held out since the beginning of this action. We now have an opportunity to win the peace finally in the Balkans. A vote against the Skelton amendment would prevent us from achieving the fruits of our success, restoring peace and stability to Kosovo, returning 1 million refugees to their homeland, and making sure that the bloodshed will finally end. Even if one was against the military action, one should be for the peacekeeping effort. If one cares about the humanitarian catastrophe that has happened in the Balkans, if one cares about the future stability in Europe, the peacekeeping effort is the best way to continue this success. Our heroic young people, men and women, for 74 days led this air campaign against the Serbian military, and therefore, we must be part of the peacekeeping effort. The President has said that the peacekeeping force will be overwhelmingly made up of European troops. We must continue to fulfill our obligation to NATO through our participation in this effort. Turning our backs on this effort now would send a horrible signal to NATO and to the rest of the world that the United States is turning to an isolationist stance.”