FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 6, 2000
CONTACT: Lisette McSoud Mondello
SENATOR HUTCHISON CALLS FOR NEW
BALKAN PEACE CONFERENCE
- "We Must Seek A Genuine Settlement" -
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison today introduced "The Balkan Peace and Prosperity Act" which calls for the United States to convene a conference to craft a genuine and self-sustaining peace framework for the Balkans.
The Senator said that a comprehensive settlement, one that is open to redrawing local borders to reflect the preferences of the local inhabitants, offers the best chance of a permanent peace.
"We need a solution based on greater self-determination by the people in the region and less wishful thinking by outside powers," Senator Hutchison said. "A real Balkan peace agreement is required, not one that can be supported only at bayonet tip," said the Senator, who visited Bosnia and Kosovo in April.
U.S. involvement in the Balkans has cost $23 billion to date, according to the General Accounting Office.
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