Political Quotes

“I rise in support of the Stearns amendment that would call for a report on atrocities against Serbs. A report by the Secretary of State on the atrocities against Serbs in Kosovo and the July 25 massacre is necessary because there must be ongoing accountability for the ongoing atrocities against Kosovar Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo. Security must be our top priority in the Balkans. Peacekeeping operations are supposed to keep the peace. But there was no peace when 14 Serbian farmers were killed on July 25, 1999, in one of the worst massacres since the end of the war. Who is accountable for this? Who did this? How did this atrocity happen amidst peacekeeping troops? How can we prevent this from ever happening again? We need answers. A report describing these atrocities will provide answers. More than 146 Kosovar Serbs and Albanians have been killed since the end of the bombing campaign on June 10. More than 150,000 Serbs have fled Kosovo since NATO arrived on June 10. More than 20 Serbian Orthodox churches have been damaged or destroyed since June 10. Only yesterday a Serb Orthodox cathedral in the province's capital, Pristina, was bombed. These are not signs of peace. For true peace to prevail, there must be accountability of these actions. Peacekeeping operations will amount to nothing if they cannot prevent continued ethnic cleansing. Peacekeeping operations will amount to nothing if the perpetrators of these and other crimes are not brought to justice.”