WASHINGTON – Sen. Jesse Helms said Wednesday that much-needed reviews on America’s policy towards involvement in the Balkans do not constitute American abandonment of that region.

            Senator Helms’ statement came during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on “The Crisis in Macedonia and U.S. Engagement in the Balkans.”

            “The United States has a vital interest in promoting peace and reconciliation in the Balkans,” Helms said.  “That requires active American engagement in the region.”

            The committee hearing is in response to violence that began in February in Macedonia between the ethnic Albanians and a national unity government led by President Boris Trajkovski.

            Trajkovski is due to go into a summit on Thursday afternoon with four parties, including ethnic Albanian parties, on a plan to end the conflict with ethnic Albanian rebels.

            NATO Secretary-General George Robertson said that the Macedonian government must convince the rebels that their aims can be achieved through peaceful political means.

            Both sides reached a cease-fire Monday and Trajkovski said he would consider upgrading the status of the ethnic Albanians, which account for 30 percent of the population.

            “I am impressed by the restraint with which the government of Macedonia has responded to these attacks,” Helms said in response to terrorist attacks by ethnic Albanians.  “I realize that there are legitimate Albanian grievances in Macedonia, but not warranting a turn to violence.”

            President Bush, who is in Europe meeting with officials, said that most nations still believe a political, not a military solution, can end the fighting in Macedonia.

            “The idea of committing troops within Macedonia was one that most nations were troubled over,” Bush said.  “They want to see if we can achieve a political settlement first.”

            Also in his statement, Helms offered Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. his “genuine congratulations and best wishes” on Biden’s new role as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, the position formerly held by Helms.

            “Senator Biden is a very special, personal friend, and I have pledged to him my full cooperation, as he has given me throughout my years as chairman,” Helms said.

*This editorial was writen on June 14,, 2001 for a class

top