Carl Levin

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, on behalf of Senators Torricelli and Lautenberg, I offer an amendment which would require the Department of Defense to provide a report to Congress on the readiness impact of proposed personnel reductions of the Army Materiel Command.

Mr. LEVIN. I ask unanimous consent that I be added as a cosponsor on this amendment.

Mr. LEVIN. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. LEVIN. We have reached another consensus in the U.S. Senate. Mr. ENZI addressed the Chair.

Mr. LEVIN. A lot closer than I feared. Apparently it is Skaneateles.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I just want to thank my good friend from Virginia and congratulate him on that last amendment, and Senator Moynihan, I know how hard he works on those matters. It is always a pleasure working with him. I thank the Chair for his usual courtesies. Skaneateles, New York

Mr. LEVIN. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. LEVIN. The amendment has been cleared on this side, Mr. President.

Mr. LEVIN. The amendment has been cleared, Mr. President.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. In a moment.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I want to just respond to that, because the words in the President's language is not ``these need to be achieved.'' In fairness--and I do not consider this to be an abundantly clear document. That is the reason why I think we should speak as to what our own beliefs are, and that is why this resolution is introduced. But the document says, ``conditions under which Dayton implementation can continue without the support of a major NATO-led military force.''

Mr. LEVIN. I will be happy just to yield for a question for the moment, but--we are going to get the exact wording--but it is my recollection that the President did not say until these benchmarks are achieved.

Mr. LEVIN. If I can respond first, I will be happy to yield in a moment. I just read the President's report.

Mr. LEVIN. As long as it takes for those goals to be accomplished. It is because those goals, as important as they are--those are important goals; they could take decades, as I just said to the good Senator from West Virginia, they could take decades--may never be achieved. Those civilian goals may never be achieved. We hope they are, but we cannot be there militarily until those civilian goals are achieved, or benchmarks, and that is why this resolution is the signal, the statement that we must have our ground forces out of there within a reasonable period of time.

Mr. LEVIN. I will be happy to respond to the comment. That is exactly what my point was. It is because it will take such a long time, in our judgment, for those kinds of civilian goals to be achieved that we must send a clear signal we cannot be there--

Mr. LEVIN. Perhaps I will just read them: 1. The Dayton cease-fire remains in place, supported by mechanisms for military-to-military transparency and cooperation. 2. Police in both entities are restructured, re-integrated, re-trained and equipped in accordance with democratic standards.

Mr. LEVIN. There are 10 benchmarks that were referred to.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, first, let me thank the chairman, Senator Coats, and others who have worked on this amendment. It is a sense-of- the-Congress amendment regarding the continuation of United States forces and operations in Bosnia. We worked very hard on this amendment. The committee did not reach a consensus or, indeed, ever take a final vote on the various alternatives which were offered to us. I don't think anything should be said which would suggest that this is a committee amendment. Indeed, I believe that the chairman and Senator Coats made it clear that it was not. But it is an amendment which has a significant amount of bipartisan support. We offer it to the Senate on that basis. I am wondering if at this point, Mr. President, I could ask for the yeas and nays on this amendment, so people know there will be a vote forthcoming.

Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, I understand that Senator Biden might be on his way over. I suggest the absence of a quorum for just one brief moment until we can ascertain that.

Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, let me just thank the Senator from Georgia not just for his statement but also for the amendment which he and Senator Snowe had offered in committee, which was adopted in committee. It is a very important amendment. It is based on his experience, the experience of so many others relative to the use of military force, and the importance of exercising exceeding care when that military force is utilized. And I think the Nation, again, is in his debt and Senator Snowe's debt. I just thank him for it. Mr. THURMOND addressed the Chair.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, on behalf of Senators Kerry of Massachusetts, McCain, and Smith of New Hampshire, I offer an amendment that would commend the Vietnamese commandos for their service to the United States during the Vietnam war.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I note the absence of a quorum.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, on behalf of Senator McCain, I call up amendment No. 2803, which would express the sense of Senate regarding declassification of information of the Departments of Defense and Energy.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.