Larry Pressler: “I believe very strongly that we should avoid the loss of American life in the former Yugoslavia. I believe very strongly…”

“I believe very strongly that we should avoid the loss of American life in the former Yugoslavia. I believe very strongly that Europe should take the lead in any actions taken in the former Yugoslavia. For too long the American taxpayer has been burdened with the United States always taking the lead. This is a European problem. We should help out and be supportive. But there has been an attitude developed by some that the United States is responsible for sending troops to resolve any matter. Whether it is leading the bombing in Bosnia or feeding the hungry in Somalia. I support the concept of lifting the arms embargo unilaterally, if necessary, but I am also pleased that this resolution contains a provision that there shall be no use of U.S. troops. I have pointed out before, on this floor, the need for reform in the way the U.N. military command does things. The U.S. taxpayer pays for about 31.7 percent of the cost of U.N. peacekeeping operations. I think this is very unfortunate. In 1947, there was a 25 percent cap placed on the U.S. assessed contribution. I introduced legislation during the State Department Authorization that passed and was adopted by the House-Senate conference. My amendment would withhold a portion of U.S. assessed contributions to the United Nations unless an inspector general is established by the United Nations. The United Nations requires a real inspector general, because there has been so much corruption and waste.…”