Thank you, Mr. Chairman. During the past three weeks the world has witnessed one of the
most sustained and cruel crimes against humanity during this century. The calculated
dislocation of hundreds of thousands of Kosovars during this past year by Serb forces
reached devastating proportions in recent weeks. Since March 24 almost half a million
refugees have been forced from Kosovo and many thousands more may yet flee.
I am honored to have the opportunity of testifying before you today on the U.S.
Government's efforts to assist and care for the refugees. I would like to give you an
update on the situation of the refugees in Macedonia and Albania, our efforts and those of
other countries to provide protection and assistance, and what we see ahead. I will then
be happy to answer any questions you might have.
The U.S. and its NATO allies are working with humanitarian organizations to
alleviate the humanitarian crisis. We will do whatever is necessary to ensure that
Milosevic's current campaign of ethnic cleansing does not stand and that refugees can
return to their homes, villages, and towns and rebuild their lives in Kosovo.
What we have watched ever since the Rambouillet process is the systematic
expulsion of Kosovo Albanians. I want to emphasize here that this had begun before the
NATO bombing commenced. While over 680,000 Kosovo Albanians have been forced to flee
Kosovo in the past year, the majority during the last three weeks, hundreds of thousands
more are believed to be displaced within Kosovo. After a short lull, when borders with
Albania and Macedonia were closed by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and after a large
number of refugees on the FRY side disappeared, we saw this weekend the resumption of
small movements of refugees out of Kosovo.
The refugees tell of extreme violence: people forced to leave their homes at
gunpoint, women and children forcibly separated from their husbands, fathers and sons,
homes and villages torched, passports and other identity documents confiscated. Even more
serious are the reports of arbitrary and summary executions, of mass graves, and most
recently of the mass rape of young women and girls.
We are extremely concerned about the fate of between 700,000-800,000 ethnic
Albanians who remain in Kosovo, many of whom are displaced. We are exploring ways to reach
these people with the humanitarian assistance they so clearly need but as you can imagine
there are many security constraints. The FRY government has not provided the security
assurances needed nor the authorization for ICRC or other international agencies and NGOs
to operate in Kosovo.
Deputy Secretary Strobe Talbott and I visited Albania and Macedonia and other
countries in the region from April 3 to 5 to thank them for supporting NATO operations and
for receiving the refugees and to underscore our commitment to providing the assistance
needed to address the impact of the unfolding humanitarian, economic and security crises.
Witnessing the masses of people who have been stripped of their dignity, identity
cards and worldly possessions was a profoundly moving experience. In spite of their forced
expulsion by the Serbs, many herded into box cars and transported to borders, all the
refugees expressed support for NATO and the effort of the Allies to stop Milosevic's
aggression. On my way back, I joined with my counterparts from other major donors and
countries in the region at a conference hosted by UNHCR to map a coordinated multilateral
strategy for the humanitarian response.
Operation "Sustain Hope" was announced by the President on April 5 to
coordinate our own humanitarian response to the refugee crisis in the region. The U.S. has
committed over $150 million in financial and material assistance since the crisis began
just over a year ago. This includes the $50 million recently authorized by the President
to help address the urgent needs of the refugees. We are sending over 1 million
humanitarian daily rations to the region, as well as tents and other relief supplies.
Other countries are also mobilizing large relief efforts.
The limited capacity of Albania and Macedonia to cope with these enormous numbers
of refugees was completely overwhelmed. I would, however, like to pay tribute to the
enormous generosity of the people of these two countries who have so generously opened
their countries and their homes to the refugees. In Albania, approximately 80,000 refugees
are being housed in private homes. Macedonian families are hosting about 60,000. I would
also like to commend Turkey for stepping forward immediately to take 20,000 refugees and
help alleviate the pressure on Macedonia -- a gesture which the U.S. Government has
volunteered to help finance.
Because of the enormity of the effort required and despite the best efforts of
UNHCR and the other relief organizations on the ground, NATO was asked to take a role in
undergirding the humanitarian assistance infrastructure. NATO, with its logistical and
operational expertise, is working closely with UNHCR and other aid agencies to build
refugee camps, distribute aid and assist with transportation and the organization of
relief efforts. In Albania, 30 camps are being built throughout the country. While UNHCR
remains the lead humanitarian organization this cooperation is an example of the excellent
coordination between NATO and UNHCR. We are now beginning to see the situation for the
refugees improve although much still needs to be done to ensure that all receive the full
range of assistance they need.
The President has also directed that additional U.S. forces be deployed in
Albania and Macedonia to support the relief effort. We anticipate the deployment of at
least 1,000 airlift, medical, engineering, logistics and security personnel. About 600
U.S. military personnel are already in the region to support the humanitarian operation.
ICRC has begun efforts to trace and locate missing persons to help reunite
families. It has established a hotline in Geneva to receive calls from around the world
and has sent tracing personnel to Macedonia and Albania. Many other relief organizations
from around the world are assisting in this mammoth effort. We are supporting our U.S.
NGOs with funding and supplies.
As part of a multi-nation effort to relieve the effects of the refugee outflow on
neighboring countries, especially Macedonia, we have stated that we are prepared to accept
up to 20,000 refugees. We are prepared to implement this commitment when necessary.
However, as in other refugee crises, our preference has been to ensure safe and humane
refuge in the region, as close to Kosovo as possible so that people may return home when
it is appropriate to do so. Based on a recent visit to the region of the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR has advised us, as well as other countries that have made
commitments to offer temporary refuge to Kosovars, that it would not be appropriate to
relocate refugees far from the region at this time. Thus, we are focusing most of our
efforts at present on making asylum in the region possible. Nevertheless, the situation
remains fluid, and we believe that we -- as well as other governments -- must remain
prepared to take refugees if the situation requires it.
I know that many of your constituents, particularly those with relatives among
the refugees, are asking why we do not bring refugees to the United States. Our first
priority is to ensure the safety and the care of over half a million people. This is an
emergency situation and, we hope, a temporary one. Therefore, we do not anticipate a
general U.S. refugee resettlement program at this time. The aim of our military and
political action is to enable the Kosovo Albanians to return to their homes when
conditions permit. In the meantime, we are committed to doing everything possible to work
with other countries to ensure that the refugees are provided with temporary asylum and
with care and assistance. I must underscore that everything we are doing and planning for
is geared to the safe return of the refugees to Kosovo which we hope will be possible in
the near future.
Thank you.
This is an
official U.S. Government source for information on the WWW.
Document compiled by Dr S D Stein
