[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992-1993, Book II)]
[August 6, 1992]
[Pages 1315-1318]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on the Situation in Bosnia and an Exchange With Reporters in 
Colorado Springs
August 6, 1992

Bosnia

    The President. A few remarks on the situation in Bosnia and the 
former Yugoslavia and what the United States, working with the 
international community, is doing to contain and defuse this escalating 
crisis.
    Like all Americans, I am outraged and horrified at the terrible 
violence shattering the lives of innocent men, women, and children in 
Bosnia. The aggressors and extremists pursue a policy, a vile policy, of 
ethnic cleansing, deliberately murdering innocent civilians, driving 
others from their homes. Already the war has created over 2.2 million 
refugees, roughly the population of greater Pittsburgh and Baltimore. 
This is, without a doubt, a true humanitarian nightmare.
    Now, the war in Bosnia-Hercegovina and Croatia is a complex, 
convoluted conflict that grows out of age-old animosities. The blood of 
innocents is being spilled over century-old feuds. The lines between 
enemies and even friends are jumbled and fragmented. Let no one think 
there is an easy or a simple solution to this tragedy. The violence will 
not end overnight, whatever pressure and means the international com-

[[Page 1316]]

munity brings to bear. Blood feuds are very difficult to resolve. Any 
lasting solution will only be found with the active cooperation and 
participation of the parties themselves. Those who understand the nature 
of this conflict understand that an enduring solution cannot be imposed 
by force from outside on unwilling participants.
    Defusing this crisis and preventing its spread will require patience 
and persistence by all members of the democratic community of nations 
and key international organizations. Bringing peace again to the Balkans 
will literally take years of work.
    For months now we've been working with other members of the 
international community in pursuing a multifaceted and integrated 
strategy for defusing and containing the Baltic conflict. Let me explain 
the critical steps that we already have underway to help defuse and to 
contain this crisis.
    First, we must continue to work to see that food and medicine get to 
the people of Sarajevo and elsewhere in Bosnia no matter what it takes. 
To this end I have directed the Secretary of State to press hard for 
quick passage of a United Nations Security Council resolution 
authorizing the use of all necessary measures to establish conditions 
necessary for and to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance 
to Bosnia-Hercegovina. This resolution is critical; it is absolutely 
critical to our efforts to bring food and medicine to the people of 
Bosnia.
    This resolution will authorize the international community to use 
force if necessary to deliver humanitarian relief supplies. My heartfelt 
hope is that that will not prove necessary. But the international 
community cannot stand by and allow innocent children, women, and men to 
be starved to death. You can be assured that should force prove 
necessary, I will do everything in my power to protect the lives of any 
American service men or women involved in this international mission of 
mercy.
    To truly end the humanitarian nightmare we must stop ethnic 
cleansing and open any and all detention camps to international 
inspection. We will not rest until the international community has 
gained access to any and all detention camps.
    Second, we must support the legitimate Governments of Slovenia, 
Croatia, and Bosnia-Hercegovina. To this end, I have decided that the 
United States will move now to full diplomatic relations with those 
Governments. I'll shortly submit to the Senate my nomination for 
Ambassadors to these posts.
    Third, we must continue to isolate Serbia economically and 
politically until all the United Nations Security Council resolutions 
are fully implemented. We must continue to tighten economic sanctions on 
Serbia so that all understand that there is a real price to be paid for 
the Serbian Government's continued aggression. And the United States 
proposes that the international community place monitors in neighboring 
states to facilitate the work of those Governments to ensure strict 
compliance with the sanctions.
    Fourth, we must engage in preventive diplomacy to preclude a 
widening of the conflict into Kosovo, Vojvodina, Sandzhak, or Macedonia. 
Therefore, the United States is proposing that the Conference on 
Security and Cooperation in Europe, CSCE, place continuous monitoring 
missions in these locations to provide an international presence and 
inhibit human rights abuses and violence.
    Fifth, we must contain the conflict and prevent its spilling over 
into neighboring states like Albania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, and 
Greece. To this end, the United States proposes that the international 
community again place civilian monitors, thereby reassuring these 
Governments of our concern for their welfare and inhibiting any 
aggression against them.
    And sixth, we are consulting with our allies in NATO on all aspects 
of this crisis and how the NATO alliance might be of assistance to the 
United Nations.
    Now, these steps represent an integrated strategy for defusing and 
containing this conflict. We've been working with the international 
community to advance our work on each of these and will continue to do 
so in the weeks ahead. It is through international cooperation, through 
the U.N., NATO, the EC, CSC, other institutions, that we will be able to 
help bring peace to that troubled region.
    Thank you very, very much.

[[Page 1317]]

    Q. Mr. President, are you mobilizing United States military 
personnel now to go there?
    The President. The question is, are we mobilizing United States 
military personnel. The answer is no. The United States has military 
assets that are available. Indeed, I think everyone knows that we have 
had a significant presence not only in the Mediterranean but in the 
Adriatic. I am confident that we have what assets it takes to get the 
job done without any excessive moves on mobilization. We're not in that 
state anyway. I'm hoping that we will not have to use force.
    Q. What about in the Middle East?
    Q. How credible are the reports of death camps?
    The President. Well, what I have done is task our intelligence 
community to use every asset available to see if we can confirm them. We 
know that there is horror in these detention camps. I cannot confirm on 
hard evidence some of the charges that have been made. It is absolutely 
essential, whatever is going on there, that there be open inspection and 
that humane treatment of the people in these concentration camps be 
guaranteed.
    But in all honesty, I can't confirm to you some of the claims that 
there is, indeed, a genocidal process going on there.
    Q. How far along is the process in determining that, sir? When do 
you think you'll have a determination?
    The President. Well, I don't know. It's very difficult, as you know. 
The main thing we're doing is pressing through this United Nations 
action, through the Human Rights Commission, to get access to have 
visible guarantees as to what's going on.
    Yes.
    Q. Sir, when you see the vivid footage from Bosnia of innocent 
civilians being bombed and mortared and shelled from the hills, does it 
not make you want to send in U.S. air power to take out those 
emplacements?
    The President. It makes me want to do whatever we have to do to stop 
the killing. I would only suggest that this is a very complicated 
military question, very, very complicated, indeed. We have probably--
well, I know we have the best intelligence in the world on this, and it 
is not an easy military problem even for our fantastic Air Force.
    Q. Sir, if Serbia does not open the camps----

Iraq

    Q. Mr. President, do you have a message to Saddam Hussein?
    The President. Do I what?
    Q. Do you have a message today for Saddam Hussein?
    The President. A message for him?
    Q. Yes, given his statement that U.N. inspectors will not be allowed 
in.
    The President. Well, I think what he said, they would not be allowed 
into the ministries. I would say that the United Nations resolutions 
will be honored in full and he will comply with United Nations 
resolutions, and just leave it at that. I can't tell you what the 
inspection targets will be, but if they prove to be in the ministry, the 
United Nations has every right under international law to inspect. And 
we will help guarantee that right.
    Q. Well, sir, are you getting a little fed up with this, I mean, 
with Saddam's playing games?
    The President. I've been fed up with him for a long time.

Bosnia

    Q. Sir, if the Serbians do not open the camps to inspectors, what 
would the next----
    The President. Too hypothetical. We're going to get those camps 
opened the way I've said.
    Q. Sir, are our allies in full support of using any necessary means?
    The President. No, and one of the reasons that we're working hard in 
the United Nations: to be sure we're all together. This really does 
require international action. We've been working this problem for a long 
time at the United Nations, not a long time but several, a couple of 
weeks. I have to tell you there have been some differences. You asked 
the right question, but we've got to get them together. I think there's 
increasing concern on the part of our allies. So we are taking the lead 
in trying to get that done.

[[Page 1318]]

    Q. Mr. President, if it is confirmed that there are death camps 
there, would the United States have a moral obligation to do whatever 
was necessary to stop that?
    The President. Well, I feel a moral obligation to see that these 
camps are inspected. I feel a moral obligation to see, just on the 
evidence we have. So it--don't even need to go any further than that. I 
think all of the American people feel, and I'm sure it's true of other 
peoples around the world, feel that we must have access to these camps, 
and we must stop the killing, and we must stop this cleansing process. 
Leave out genocide for a minute. And genocide just compounds it and 
makes it even worse, if that is proven, certainly.
    Q. But to do whatever is necessary, including the use of troops?
    The President. Well, I've said that, but that's what our resolution 
would propose.
    Thank you all very much. Thank you.

                    Note: The President spoke at 12:02 p.m. at Peterson 
                        Air Force Base prior to his departure for 
                        Washington, DC.