Gibbons among peace-seeking team Contingent to offer plan to end conflict

Mark D. Preston

Thursday, April 29, 1999 | 11:38 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Jim Gibbons leaves tonight for Vienna, Austria, as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation that is trying to broker a deal with Russian lawmakers to help bring an end to the Yugoslav conflict.

Gibbons, R-Nev., said the U.S. delegation will propose a multitier plan similar to the proposal NATO offered but was rejected by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

If U.S. and Russian lawmakers are able to agree on the peace plan -- and if Milosevic is persuaded to accept it -- then the NATO and U.S. air war campaign would end. A cease-fire would go into effect.

Yugoslav military and the national police would be removed from Kosovo, the former home to more than 1 million ethnic Albanians who have been killed or driven from the area since Milosevic engaged in a campaign of ethnic cleansing.

Kosovo then would be partitioned from Yugoslavia and become an autonomous area where Albanian refugees would be allowed to return.

An international peacekeeping force void of U.S. and British involvement would police the region and protect the ethnic Albanians from future attacks. Also, the three U.S. soldiers captured by the Yugoslavian Army would be released.

Gibbons said the agreement does not allow Milosevic to save face, but gives him the opportunity to save his country from further destruction and loss of human life.

"It is not something we are giving him," Gibbons said. "All we are offering is a cessation of firing."

If there is time this weekend, the U.S. delegation will escort the Russian lawmakers on a tour of some of the Albanian refugee camps.

Gibbons said the deal would not include punishment for Milosevic, who is accused of committing horrible war crimes. Gibbons said punishment might be left up to an international court or Milosevic's own countrymen.

Gibbons met throughout the week with House members to outline an agenda for the trip that is expected to conclude on Sunday. Gibbons, who volunteered for the trip, said that when the delegation returns its members will brief Congress and the White House on their discussions.

Joining Gibbons are Republican Reps. Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania, Jim Saxton of New Jersey, Roscoe Bartlett of Maryland and Robin Hayes of North Carolina. Democrats include Reps. Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii, Maurice Hinchey of New York, Rod Blagojevich of Illinois, Corrine Brown of Florida and Jim Turner of Texas.

Gibbons and Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., sharply disagreed on the overall U.S. mission in the region and Congress' role in sending U.S. ground troops into the war-torn country. The House overwhelmingly rejected a measure by a 290 to 139 vote calling on the removal of U.S. troops from NATO's Yugoslav military operation. Gibbons voted for the troops' removal, while Berkley voted against it.

"This administration has failed to identify, failed to explain and failed to articulate why intervention in Kosovo is in the U.S. national interest," Gibbons said.

But Berkley said the debate was outrageous. "Why in heaven's name would you signal Milosevic in the middle of the military operation that you would be ending the military operation," she said. "I think this is an outrageous attempt by the U.S. Congress to undermine the military operations that are going on in Yugoslavia."

Another measure to withhold funding for U.S. ground troops in Kosovo unless President Clinton received Congress' approval was passed 249-180. Berkley voted against the measure to withhold funds, while Gibbons voted for it.

"There is absolutely no logic to this," Berkley said. "This is designed to embarrass the president and turn this into Clinton's war, so if anything goes wrong they can blame Clinton and have a campaign issue for the next election."

On the other side of Capitol Hill the Silver State's two Democratic senators continued to express support for the NATO air campaign.

"Clearly the airstrikes are devastating the military infrastructure in Yugoslavia, and we have to stay the course," Sen. Richard Bryan said. "It just seems to me we need to have more patience, and I believe we can achieve our objective."

Sen. Harry Reid said, "While I am disappointed that the option of ground troops was taken off from the beginning, thus removing one thing for Milosevic to worry about at this point, I do not think they are necessary and I will continue to support the airstrikes."