[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992-1993, Book II)]
[December 20, 1992]
[Pages 2207-2208]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Joint Statement With Prime Minister John Major of the United Kingdom on 
the Former Yugoslavia
December 20, 1992

    The President of the United States and the Prime Minister of the 
United Kingdom have agreed as follows.
    The objectives of our policy are:
    (a) to work for a peaceful and just settlement in the former 
        Yugoslavia;
    (b) to prevent the spread of the fighting in particular to Kosovo 
        and Macedonia;
    (c) to maintain the humanitarian aid effort which includes over 
        2,000 British troops and without which many more lives will be 
        lost this winter.

[[Page 2208]]

    The President and Prime Minister paid tribute to the work of the 
United Nations in the former Yugoslavia and to the courage and 
dedication of the troops who are ensuring that convoys get through. They 
welcomed the success of the UN and its agencies, despite all the odds, 
in delivering large quantities of aid to those in need. They agreed on 
the importance of enabling that effort to go ahead.
    The United States and the United Kingdom have agreed to cooperate on 
a Resolution in the United Nations to enforce compliance with the `no-
fly' zone for Bosnia should violation of the existing ban continue. The 
aim of the resolution would be to prevent flights taking place other 
than those specifically authorized by the United Nations.
    The President and the Prime Minister:
    (a) agreed that steps need to be taken to prevent the spread of 
        fighting into Kosovo and Macedonia;
    (b) welcomed the decision to deploy UN troops in Macedonia and hoped 
        that this UN presence would be stepped up over the coming weeks;
    (c) agreed also to press for the very early increase in the numbers 
        of observers in Kosovo;
    (d) agreed that our attitude to sanctions would depend on a rapid 
        and radical change of policy by Serbia;
    (e) confirmed that they would be ready, depending on Serbia's 
        response, to impose new sanctions. They could initially include 
        cutting postal and telecommunication links and could lead to 
        closing the borders and complete diplomatic isolation for years 
        to come.
    The President and the Prime Minister paid tribute to the work of Cy 
Vance and David Owen in trying to negotiate a peaceful settlement in the 
former Yugoslavia. Both Governments will continue to give the 
negotiators their full support.

                    Note: The joint statement was made available by the 
                        Office of the White House Press Secretary but 
                        was not issued as a White House press release. 
                        The statement referred to Cyrus Vance and Lord 
                        David Owen, Cochairmen of the International 
                        Conference on the Former Yugoslavia.