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NATO forces prepare for a possible military strike  ALSO: Kosovo: Why are they fighting?

March 23, 1999
Web posted at: 1:13 p.m. EST (1813 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As the prospect of a U.S.-led airstrike on Serbia became more likely Tuesday, leaders of the Republican-dominated Senate, skeptical of President Clinton's Kosovo policy, dropped a threat to cut off funds for military action.

Instead, a resolution of support for the U.S. military was being drafted with a vote expected later in the day. Senators revealed the change of plans as they left a White House meeting with President Clinton.

The president called the bipartisan meeting of 30 senators in hopes of showing Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic that even lawmakers opposed to sending U.S. forces into combat will back the White House and NATO should airstrikes be launched against Serb forces.

Hutchison assures that U.S. forces will have the full support of Congress

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) said afterward that lawmakers would alter the funding proposal.

"There will be, probably, a different kind of amendment," Hutchison said. "It becomes a different issue when action becomes imminent. While many people may disagree with the president's policies, I would not want Mr. Milosevic to get the impression that ... (U.S. forces) may not get full support."

"I am going to support the airstrikes," said Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky).

News Highlights: Gallery: The conflict in review News story archive Yugoslavia's Future: What's next for Yugoslavia Map: Who controls what The Peace Settlement: A guide to the peace plan Map: Serb troop withdrawal The Military Campaign: Strike damage assessment Atlas: NATO and the Balkans Background: Timeline: Trouble in the Balkans A who's who of key players Map: Kosovo and its neighbors A history of the KLA

Like Hutchison and even some Democrats, McConnell had been among a number of Republican senators deeply skeptical about Clinton's policy in trying to force Milosevic to halt an offensive against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo and sign a peace deal.

Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Nebraska) said he has serious concerns that getting involved in Kosovo -- coupled with other U.S. deployments in Bosnia, South Korea and Iraq -- would stretch military resources too thin.

"There's only a certain number of things we can do. I would have preferred to say in this instance to the Europeans, 'This is one you're going to have to do,'" Kerrey said.

Still, Clinton "has made the case to me ... so I'll support him," he said.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) said he believed there would be a NATO bombing. "And it would be justified," Leahy said, adding the question is whether Congress would support it.

As the senators spoke, U. S. envoy Richard Holbrooke told CNN in Belgrade that his two days of talks with Milosevic had failed and that he was traveling to Brussels to meet with NATO officials.

Holbrooke said he had put two conditions to the Yugoslav leader -- an immediate cease-fire in Kosovo and implementation of a peace agreement already signed by leaders of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority.

Holbrooke characterizes talks with Milosevic as 'bleak' ( 204 K/18 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

"Neither commitment was forthcoming," he said. "The situation is the bleakest since we began our efforts."

Speaking to American Legion members in Washington on Tuesday, Vice President Al Gore said: "If Milosevic does not call off his attack and stop the slaughter of innocent men, women and children, we are determined to act to diminish the military power that he has turned ruthlessly toward the Kosovo people and help the Kosovar Albanians win the safety, security and self-government they deserve."

Correspondents Wolf Blitzer, Christiane Amanpour, John King and Andrea Koppell The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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