Political Quotes

“I think my colleague will agree that many Americans, and many Members of the Congress, both the House and the Senate, perhaps are not aware of the complexity of the Dayton agreement. But under the Dayton agreement, Bosnia and Herzegovina was divided basically into two federations, one the Croat Muslim Federation, and then the predominantly Serb area, which is referred to commonly as the Republic of Srpska. Our third conclusion is that prior to the elections in December of 1997, which brought to power more moderate leadership within the Republic of Srpska, hard-line Bosnian Serbs in power demonstrated an unwillingness to comply with the terms of the Dayton agreement. As a result, the overwhelming bulk of Western economic aid has flowed to the Muslim Croat-dominated federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The recently elected moderate government within the Republic of Srpska lacks the financial resources to function effectively, raising concerns about the government's political viability. We were advised by our military and diplomatic leadership that $5 million in U.S. assistance to the new Republic of Srpska Government is essential as part of a $20 million to $30 million international assistance package to demonstrate our commitment to the long-term viability of the new government until it begins generating sufficient revenues on its own. We strongly support appropriation of this $5 million in assistance.”