Developments in the Balkans Hearings
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DEVELOPMENTS IN THE BALKANS HEARINGS BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED SIXTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION APRIL 11 AND JULY 19, 2000 Serial No. 106–169 Printed for the use of the Committee on International Relations ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.house.gov/international—relations U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 68–286 CC WASHINGTON : 2000 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 10:46 Jan 08, 2001 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 68286.TXT HINTREL1 PsN: HINTREL1 COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS BENJAMIN A. GILMAN, New York, Chairman WILLIAM F. GOODLING, Pennsylvania SAM GEJDENSON, Connecticut JAMES A. LEACH, Iowa TOM LANTOS, California HENRY J. HYDE, Illinois HOWARD L. BERMAN, California DOUG BEREUTER, Nebraska GARY L. ACKERMAN, New York CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American DAN BURTON, Indiana Samoa ELTON GALLEGLY, California MATTHEW G. MARTINEZ, California ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida DONALD M. PAYNE, New Jersey CASS BALLENGER, North Carolina ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey DANA ROHRABACHER, California SHERROD BROWN, Ohio DONALD A. MANZULLO, Illinois CYNTHIA A. MCKINNEY, Georgia EDWARD R. ROYCE, California ALCEE L. HASTINGS, Florida PETER T. KING, New York PAT DANNER, Missouri STEVE CHABOT, Ohio EARL F. HILLIARD, Alabama MARSHALL ‘‘MARK’’ SANFORD, South BRAD SHERMAN, California Carolina ROBERT WEXLER, Florida MATT SALMON, Arizona STEVEN R. ROTHMAN, New Jersey AMO HOUGHTON, New York JIM DAVIS, Florida TOM CAMPBELL, California EARL POMEROY, North Dakota JOHN M. MCHUGH, New York WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts KEVIN BRADY, Texas GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York RICHARD BURR, North Carolina BARBARA LEE, California PAUL E. GILLMOR, Ohio JOSEPH CROWLEY, New York GEORGE RADANOVICH, California JOSEPH M. HOEFFEL, Pennsylvania JOHN COOKSEY, Louisiana THOMAS G. TANCREDO, Colorado RICHARD J. GARON, Chief of Staff KATHLEEN BERTELSEN MOAZED, Democratic Chief of Staff JOHN HERZBERG, Professional Staff Member and Counsel JILL N. QUINN, Staff Associate NICOLLE A. SESTRIC, Staff Associate (II) VerDate 11-MAY-2000 10:46 Jan 08, 2001 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 68286.TXT HINTREL1 PsN: HINTREL1 C O N T E N T S WITNESSES Page TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2000 Kosovo: The Honorable James W. Pardew, Principal Deputy Special Advisor to the President and Secretary of State for Kosovo and Dayton Implementation, U.S. Department of State .................................................................................... 3 James W. Swigert, Deputy Assistant Secretary for European Affairs and Deputy Special Advisor to the President and Secretary of State for Dayton and Kosovo Implementation, U.S. Department of State ................................... 6 The Honorable Joseph J. DioGuardi, Volunteer President, The Albanian American Civic League ........................................................................................ 25 Linda Dana, Institutional Contractor in Kosovo, International Organization for Migration ......................................................................................................... 29 Bajram Rexhepi, M.D. Chairman of the Commune Mitrovice ............................. 31 Muhamet Mustafa, President, Reinvest Institute for Development Research ... 33 Ilir Zherka, Executive Director, National Albanian American Council .............. 35 WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 2000 Crime and Corruption in Bosnia: Harold J. Johnson, Associate Director, International Relations and Trade Issues, National Security and International Affairs Division, U.S. General Accounting Office accompanied by James Shafer, Assistant Director, Inter- national Relations and Trade Issues, National Security and International Affairs Division, U.S. General Accounting Office .............................................. 45 David Bruno, Evaluator in Charge, U.S. General Accounting Office .................. 51 The Honorable James W. Pardew, Principal Deputy Special Advisor to the President and Secretary of State for Democracy in the Balkans, U.S. De- partment of State ................................................................................................. 58 APPENDIX TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2000 Prepared statements: The Honorable Benjamin A. Gilman, a Representative in Congress from New York and Chairman, Committee on International Relations ........................... 68 Ambassador James W. Pardew ............................................................................... 71 James W. Swigert .................................................................................................... 74 The Honorable Joseph J. DioGuardi ...................................................................... 77 Linda Dana ............................................................................................................... 92 Dr. Barjam Rexhepi ................................................................................................. 95 Muhamet Mustafa ................................................................................................... 100 Ilir Zherka ................................................................................................................ 105 (III) VerDate 11-MAY-2000 10:46 Jan 08, 2001 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 68286.TXT HINTREL1 PsN: HINTREL1 IV Page WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 2000 Prepared statements: The Honorable Benjamin A. Gilman, a Representative in Congress from New York and Chairman, Committee on International Relations ........................... 107 Harold J. Johnson .................................................................................................... 110 Ambassador James W. Pardew ............................................................................... 130 Additional material for the record: Statement of Esad Stavileci, Ph.D., Professor of Law, University of Prishtina, Kosovo, and University of Tetova, Macedonia ................................................... 139 Chart from Dr. Rexhepi on the structural nature of the population before the war .................................................................................................................. 143 Letter from Paul R. Williams, Washington College of Law, American Univer- sity, commenting on the U.S. General Accounting Office report entitled ‘‘Bosnia Peace Operation: Crime and Corruption Impedes the Success of the Dayton Peace Agreement’’ ............................................................................ 146 Report on USAID Anti-Corruption Efforts in Bosnia-Herzegovina ..................... 151 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 10:46 Jan 08, 2001 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 68286.TXT HINTREL1 PsN: HINTREL1 DEVELOPMENTS IN THE BALKANS: KOSOVO TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2000 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, Washington, DC. The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 3:05 p.m. in room 2172, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Benjamin A. Gilman (Chairman of the Committee) presiding. Chairman GILMAN. The Committee will come to order. We will be joined by our Members shortly, as many of them can get away from their other committees. Today’s hearing is the first opportunity this year for Members of our International Relations Committee to review the differences and the effectiveness of our policy in Kosovo with Administration officials. In view of last year’s NATO strikes against Serbia, the current commitment of some 7,000 United States troops and the expenditure of approximately $2 billion of U.S. taxpayers’ funds since last June to aid Kosovo, I can think of few areas of greater importance to our Nation’s foreign policy. Nevertheless, reports indicate that things are not progressing smoothly in Kosovo. The perception is we have won the war but we are losing the peace. Recent visits by Members of the House and our staff have revealed that achieving enduring peace and stability will be much more difficult and costly than we did in winning the air war over Serbia. Although we can and should be rightfully proud of that achievement and other significant contributions of our own men and women of our Armed Forces, we need also to be realistic with regard to the nature of the commitment that our own Nation has now entered into in yet another part of the Balkans. Continuing ethnic violence plagues Kosovo. Reprisal attacks against the Serbs and other minorities have received much atten- tion in the press, as has the situation in the divided town of Mitrovice where thousands of Albanian residents have not been able to return to their homes in the Serb-controlled part of that town. Difficulties in reestablishing public services such as water, sanitation, electricity and medical care have undermined the mo- rale of the long-suffering Kosovar people. These difficulties are at- tributable to the failure of international donors in Europe to fulfill their pledges in a timely fashion. The economy of Kosovo is also stagnant, prolonging unemploy- ment among the large numbers of young people who, with no real hope for a better future, could turn to crime and violence. The recent outbreak of violence and instability in Serbia, the heavily Albanian populated region just over the Kosovo boundary (1) VerDate 11-MAY-2000 10:46 Jan 08, 2001 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 68286.TXT HINTREL1 PsN: HINTREL1 2 and near our own forces, has also given rise to concern for the safe- ty of our own troops. Will the conflict between Albanians and Serbs resume? Could our troops be brought