    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
    [March 25, 1993]
    [Pages 356-357]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Exchange With Reporters Prior to a Meeting With Dorsey High School
    Students
    March 25, 1993

    Ukraine

        Q. Mr. President, did anything come out of your meeting with the
    Ukrainian Foreign Minister as far as the START Treaty?
        The President. I just told him how important it was to us, that I
    realize that there was some opposition at home in Ukraine because of
    uncertainty in Russia, but we had to have them sign on. And I would
    encourage them to go ahead and do it, while I realize there are some
    implementation issues that we would have to work with them on. And I was
    glad to work with him on that but that the United States wanted very
    much to be close to the Ukraine. We have a big stake in their success,
    and we've got a lot of commercial potential there and they here, as well
    as a lot of ties. We have a lot of Ukrainian-Americans, as you know.
        But I think this START Treaty is a precondition to a long-term,
    successful relationship. And I think they should go into the
    nonproliferation regime and give up nuclear weapons. We don't need any
    more nuclear states. The United States is trying to reduce our nuclear
    arsenals, and we need to continue to push in that direction.
        It was a very good meeting. And I think over the long run, the
    United States will have a good relationship with Ukraine if we get the
    START issue resolved.
        Q. Mr. President, did he say the crisis in Moscow is having
    repercussions back home for him?
        The President. Well, he said it was adding to a sense of uncertainty
    in this country, which you would expect it would. I mean, they're right
    next door there. But I hope, of course, as every day goes by there seems
    to be an attempt by President Yeltsin and others, frankly, to confine
    the dimensions of the process, to regularize it

    [[Page 357]]

    and to let it play itself out in a vote of the people on April 25th. Of
    course that's the most democratic way you could do that to resolve that
    crisis.
        Q. Did you get a sense----
        The President. I don't know that. I know what you were going to say.
    I don't know that. I hope so. I feel better about it, but I don't know
    that for sure.

    U.S. Attorneys

        Q. Are you afraid that firing all the U.S. attorneys at once will be
    seen as political?
        The President. Absolutely not. We waited longer than most of our
    predecessors have. Go back and look and see when they tried to replace
    them under Bush, under Reagan, under--particularly under Reagan. Anytime
    when you change parties--it took us longer to begin the process because
    of the delay in getting an Attorney General confirmed. But all those
    people are routinely replaced, and I have not done anything differently.
    The Justice Department is just proceeding from essentially a late start.
    And I think the blanket decision is less political than picking people
    out one by one.
        Q. Do you think Jay Stephens should stay on at least to the end of
    the Rostenkowski----
        The President. I support the Attorney General. She made the decision
    about what the best way to handle this was, since we were behind. And I
    support her decision.

    Note: The exchange began at 4:10 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. Jay Stephens was the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.
    A tape was not available for verification of the content of this
    exchange.