Political Quotes

“I am not going to get deeply involved in the legalities, because I am more concerned about the situation here today and tomorrow and to project it into the future. This is the principal concern I have about lifting the embargo. My next question: How would a unilateral lifting of the arms embargo affect our relations with the NATO allies and the Russian Federation? Answer: Our allies and the Russians are extremely concerned about the prospect of unilateral U.S. lifting of the arms embargo. They would argue that our behavior encouraged an erosion of the U.N. sanctions regime as an instrument of international policy. If they came to believe that unilateral U.S. lifting of the embargo had more than a symbolic effect, they might decide to pull some or all of their forces out of UNPROFOR, leading to the collapse of the humanitarian relief effort. This is an answer that must be addressed. What are the consequences if UNPROFOR has to withdraw in the face of a lifting of the embargo, particularly unilateral lifting by the United States? Sarajevo, Gorazde, Srebrenica, and Zepa, which are surrounded by Serb forces, would be cut off from most of the relief supplies. Should the Bosnian Serbs attack any remaining European forces or take them hostage, the Europeans would hold the United States accountable.…”