[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
[April 26, 1993]
[Pages 512-514]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on the Election in Russia and an Exchange With Reporters
April 26, 1993

    The President. Not very long ago, perhaps about, oh, an hour ago 
now, I had a conversation with President Yeltsin. I called to 
congratulate him on his outstanding victory in the election and to 
reassure him that the United States continues to support him as the 
elected leader of Russia and continues to look forward to our 
partnership in working to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons, to 
increase trade and commerce, and to promote democracy. This is a very, 
very good day, not only for the people of Russia but for the people of 
the United States and all the people of the world.
    I will say again I know that there have been times in the last 3 
months when many Americans, troubled with their own economic 
difficulties, have asked why their President would be so involved in 
trying to support the process of democracy in Russia. And I want to say 
again why that is so. They are a huge country with vast natural 
resources, with enormous opportunities for Americans to create jobs and 
to earn income and to reap the benefits of trade. They still have 
thousands of nuclear weapons which we must proceed to reduce and to 
dismantle so that the world will be a safer place and so that we will no 
longer have to spend our investment dollars, that we need so desperately 
to rebuild our own economy, on maintaining a state of extreme readiness 
and large numbers of warheads positioned against Russia. And they are a 
great country that can be a symbol of democracy in a very troubled part 
of the world if democracy can stay alive there. They can prove that you 
can make three dramatic changes at once as they try to move from a 
Communist system to a democracy, from a controlled economy to a market 
economy, and to a nation state

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away from being an imperial power with occupying armies.
    This is a victory that belongs to the Russian people and to the 
courage of Boris Yeltsin, but I am very glad that the United States 
supported steadfastly the process of democracy in Russia. I was glad to 
have a chance to talk to President Yeltsin. Needless to say, he was in a 
very good humor when I talked to him, and he had a good sense of humor. 
And he offered the United States a great Russian bear hug for their 
support for democracy in Russia and, actually, in the other republics of 
the former Soviet Union as well.
    So, it was a very good conversation. But I do want to say that this 
is a good day, not just for the people of Russia but for the people of 
the United States as well.

Russia

    Q. Mr. President, will this election result help you sell your aid 
package to Congress?
    The President. I would hope so. I think it will validate the policy 
of the United States, which I might say has been by and large a 
completely bipartisan one. I want to say a special word of appreciation 
to all the living former Presidents who supported the position I took 
here: President Carter and President Reagan and President Ford, 
President Nixon and President Bush, all of them. They made it easier for 
all of us to maintain a united American front. And I want to say a 
special word of thanks to all the leaders in Congress on both sides of 
the aisle who supported this policy.
    I do believe that we have to think of this as a long-term effort. We 
have to be in this for the long run. But I think it will be immensely 
beneficial to the United States.
    Q. Mr. President, were you surprised by the results on all four 
questions?
    The President. Well, I sort of thought he would win on all four. I 
thought there might be some difference, and as you know, there was a 
difference in the vote between the referendum on Yeltsin himself and his 
policies. But you would expect that in tough times. We've had a lot of 
Western leaders reelected in the last 3 or 4 years in the midst of 
economic difficulties where the people got reelected and there was still 
debate about their policy, because people are having a tough time, and 
people in Russia are having a very tough time. I think the reaffirmation 
of his policies really is a tribute to the farsightedness of the Russian 
people. I think in the end what happened was they decided that as 
difficult as it is, that that is the only path they could take. And I 
think, again, it's a real tribute to his courage and to their common 
sense and ability to see the future. And it's very tough to do when 
you're going through what they're going through: terrible inflation, 
unemployment, all those dislocating problems. It is a real tribute to 
their maturity and to their courage and foresight.

Stimulus Package

    Q. Mr. President, will you now break down your jobs stimulus bill 
and offer them one at a time on the meritorious projects?
    The President. Sarah [Sarah McClendon, McClendon News Service], I 
thought they were all meritorious. I have not made a decision about what 
to do. I want to consult with the Members of Congress. I think it is 
imperative that we make some decisions along that line. Certainly the 
Russian issue, I think if it's going to be seriously addressed by 
Congress, has to be done in the context of what our first obligations 
are to the American people and their interests. And so we'll be talking 
about that. And I expect to make a decision in the fairly near future on 
that.

Bosnia

    Q. Mr. President, do you now have a course of action that you're 
free to take by virtue of this result in Russia that you might have been 
inhibited in taking before, perhaps on Bosnia or perhaps on some other 
issue, perhaps on Russia itself?
    The President. Well, what you say may be true in the sense that had 
there been a reversal there, the position of the Russian Government 
might have become much more intransigent. It is now, I think, clear that 
the United States and our allies need to move forward with a stronger 
policy in Bosnia, and I will be announcing the course that I hope we can 
take in the next several days. I want to do some serious consultations 
with the Congress and others, and I will be doing that in the next few 
days.
    But now I think the time had come to focus on that problem and what 
it means for the United States and has for the rest of the world,

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as well as for the people that are suffering there.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 3:20 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House.