Ground-Troop Option Gaining Support

By TOM RAUM Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nearly all the lawmakers who accompanied Defense Secretary William Cohen to Europe for consultations on NATO airstrikes and to visit U.S. troops say the United States should not rule out a possible ground offensive in Kosova.

``We should start the preparations tomorrow,'' said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a GOP presidential hopeful and a senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee. ``Not that we're going to go in -- but we should be ready.''

``Whatever it takes. We've got to win this thing,'' said Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri, top-ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.

Cohen, whose delegation returned late Thursday after visits with NATO officials in Belgium and with American troops in Italy and Germany, said he would take that message to President Clinton.

He reiterated the administration's position that ground troops would not be necessary to win the conflict against Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's forces.

But either way, he conceded, ``whatever you do, you need the support of Congress.''

Congress reconvenes Monday after a two-week spring recess, and those in the 11-member delegation that accompanied Cohen -- all from key congressional committees with jurisdiction over national security issues -- said the conflict had taken front center as an issue.

McCain said he planned to confer with Senate leaders about the possibility of bringing up a ``straightforward resolution'' in the Senate that would authorize the president to use ``whatever force is necessary'' to resolve the conflict.

``It ought to be debated and voted on,'' said McCain. He cited ``shifting American public opinion and the realities of the situation.''

Lawmakers on the trip said Milosevic's refusal to buckle despite 16 days of airstrikes, reports of atrocities in Kosova and the flood of refugees had changed the dynamics.

``We have to keep the option of NATO ground forces on the table here,'' said Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn.

But Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., another advocate of keeping a ground option, said, ``The longer this goes on, the harder it becomes for some of our European allies to hold on. Time is not on our side.''

After meeting with NATO officials in Belgium, Cohen and the congressional delegation on Thursday greeted U.S. pilots and support crews at Aviano Air Base in Italy, then met with forces at Ramstein Air Base in Germany engaged in humanitarian airlifts.

``If there's any controversy, it's political,'' said Lieberman. ``These people are doing their job well.''

The drama over the possible release of three U.S. Army prisoners being held in Belgrade hung over the Cohen mission throughout the day.

Cohen expressed both optimism -- and caution.

``We're not going to allow Mr. Milosevic to manipulate us on that,'' he told reporters. ``You have to be wary of whatever he's doing.''

He said the plane used by Spyros Kyprianou, speaker of the Cypriot parliament, to go to Belgrade to possibly take custody of the three captured Americans would be given safe passage, but that NATO airstrikes would continue.

Later, when it turned out that the Greek plane had left Belgrade on Thursday without the prisoners, but that another one would be sent today, members of Cohen's party expressed frustration.

``This is the knothole,'' said a senior military official, briefing reporters on the condition of anonymity. Still, he said, ``the fact that they plan to bring another plane in tomorrow is positive.''

Those on the trip opposed to ruling out a ground option also included Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.; and Reps. Jim Turner, D-Texas; Steve Buyer, R-Ind.; John Spratt, D-S.C.; and Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., voiced general support for the Clinton administration policy, but said the administration needed to do a better job in expressing a what-comes-next strategy.

Rep. Sam Gejdenson, D-Conn., said he supported the notion of trying to do the job with airstrikes alone.

``You're better off with an air campaign you can sustain than with a ground campaign you can't initiate,'' he said.