Thomas Daschle: “the closing hours of the 105th Congress are fast approaching. I could not let this Congress end without coming to the…”

“the closing hours of the 105th Congress are fast approaching. I could not let this Congress end without coming to the Senate floor to address the tragedy in Kosovo. It is a human crisis of immense proportion, and it poses an increasing threat to the United States and the global community. The last several years have been marked by Yugoslavian President Milosevic's steady escalation of political repression and violence against the people of Kosovo. Acting at Milosevic's behest, Yugoslav forces have driven nearly 400,000 Kosovar Albanians from their homes. Fourteen thousand homes and 400 villages have been razed. Over 700 Kosovar Albanian men, women, and children have been killed. Within the last several weeks our newspapers have been filled with accounts of atrocities committed by Milosevic's units against scores of unarmed civilians. Among the list of crimes documented by international observers are politically motivated killings; massacres of women, children and elderly persons; torture; arbitrary arrest; detention without cause; denial of fair, public trial; and destruction of private homes. Further exacerbating this man-made crisis is the fact that winter is fast approaching, placing at peril the health and well being of tens of thousands of displaced persons who have managed to survive Milosevic's cruelties. After watching this recent string of atrocities, the international community was compelled to respond.…”