Eliot Engel: “just yesterday I returned from the Balkans along with the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran) and the gentlewoman from…”

“just yesterday I returned from the Balkans along with the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran) and the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Kelly). We had hoped to go into a region called Kosovo to monitor elections that were being held this past Sunday by the Albanians in the region of Kosovo who make up 90 percent, 2 million people, 90 percent of Kosovo, but have no political, economic or human rights whatsoever. I have been to Kosovo a number of times, and I can tell my colleagues the people, they are truly a people under oppression. We have witnessed during the past few weeks, Mr. Speaker, the wanton killings of men, women and children by the Serbian police forces going into villages and slaughtering people. It reminds us of what happened in Bosnia early on. If the West, particularly the United States, does not take strong action early on, we will wind up with another Bosnia in Kosovo. Kosovo again are people, Albanians, 90 percent ethnic Albanians, they have no rights, they have no political rights, they have no economic rights, unemployment is high, they cannot teach in the Albanian language. They are constantly oppressed, harassed, beaten and murdered. This Sunday they conducted their own elections.”