Nov 5 1997

Thank you for your letter of July 24 requesting the Department?s views on H. Con. Res. 162 -— expressing concern over the conditions of ethnic Albanians living in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The resolution was introduced by Congressman DioGuardi on July 15.

The Department has serious reservations about this resolution, which presents an unbalanced picture of the situation of Albanians and other ethnic groups in the multi-ethnic Yugoslav state. We believe that passage of the resolution would damage our friendly relations with Yugoslavia, and could needlessly serve to inflame inter—ethnic strife within the country. Such developments could promote instability within Yugoslavia and work directly against longstanding U.S. security interests in the region.

In the Department?s judgment, there is no credible evidence to support the conclusion of if. Con. Res. 162 that the Yugoslav Government has failed to protect the political and economic rights of the Albanian people. Nor is there credible evidence that the Government of Yugoslavia is pursuing a policy of discrimination toward any ethnic group. What is true is that local officials of the Yugoslav province of Kosovo have imprisoned at least several hundred Albanian nationalists for expressions on non—violent dissent since disturbances rocked the province in 1981. These measures, part of a concerted effort by these officials to prevent a recurrence of the 1981 disturbances, are clear instances of violations of basic human rights.

Most the allegations cited in H. Con. Res. 162 concern these disburbances and their aftershocks. A number of the allegations, however, are exaggerated, misleading or factually incorrect. while it is true that ?there are reports that

The Honorable
Dante B. Fascell, Chairman,
Committee on Foreign Affairs, House Of Representatives.

RECEIVED

NOV 5 1987

Committee on Foreign Affairs