    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book II)]
    [September 2, 1993]
    [Pages 1429-1431]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Prior to Discussions With Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin of
    Russia and an Exchange With Reporters
    September 2, 1993

        The President. I would like to make just a brief comment, if I
    might, and then I'll take a couple of questions.
        I want to welcome Prime Minister Chernomyrdin here to the United
    States. We clearly recognize that his support for President Yeltsin's
    reform program has been essential to its success and will continue to be
    essential to its success. And we're very grateful that he's here.
        I also want to express my appreciation to the Prime Minister and to
    Vice President Gore for successfully concluding the first round of talks
    and agreements under the Commission on Economic and Technological
    Cooperation that grew out of my meeting with President Yeltsin in
    Vancouver. They have signed just now, as all of you know, some very
    exciting agreements which will permit us to cooperate with Russia in
    space. Russia has agreed to observe the principles of the Missile
    Technology Control Regime, which is something the United States very
    much appreciates. We are going to work together on matters of energy and
    environmental protection, which I think will be very helpful to Russia's
    long-term development and also help with American business. And in
    general, I think this is the beginning of a lot more opportunities for
    mutual trade and investment between our two countries.
        So I'm personally very happy about this. And because of the efforts
    of the Prime Minister and the Vice President, this first step has
    exceeded my expectations considerably, and I'm very, very appreciative.

    Health Care Reform

        Q. Sir, on health care, are short-term price controls now dead?
        The President. Well, they never were alive. I never embraced them.
    They have been discussed. What I think you have to acknowledge is that
    the pharmaceutical companies and the industry as a whole and other
    segments of the health care providers have voluntarily offered, during
    the course of this debate, to keep their

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    prices within inflation for a year or two as we get up and get going the
    health care reform package. And I think they should be given the
    opportunity to adhere to the commitment that they've made.
        And so, my own view is--I've never been particularly hot on price
    controls. I believe in budgets, and I believe we have to limit the
    amount of growth and the revenues we're spending on health care, both
    public and private. So I want to point out that, as all of you know, in
    the last budget, you've got a decline in defense, flat domestic
    spending. Medicare and Medicaid is going up. It's someplace between 11
    and 15 percent in the first year, down to 9 to 11 percent in the 5th
    year of the budget, and still going up way too much. So we're going to
    bring it down. But I don't think we have to have a bureaucratic system
    of price controls to do it.
        Q. Sir, what about the senior citizens groups that are afraid that
    Medicare is going to be squeezed under the plan that will be announced?
        The President. Under our plan, as you know because we've talked
    about it for a long time, we want to phase in a more comprehensive plan
    of long-term care for the elderly as well as access to medicine for
    people on Medicare who aren't quite poor enough to be on Medicaid and
    can't afford their drug bills. We're having a lot of extra costs in our
    health care system because senior citizens can't get the drugs that they
    need. So senior citizens will come out way ahead.
        It is not logical, with inflation at 3 percent and the population
    growth of Medicare and Medicaid between 1 and 1\1/2\ percent, to have
    those programs going up between 12 and 16 percent a year. That's not
    right and it's not necessary, and we can do much, much better. And from
    those savings in the rate of increase--we're not talking about cutting
    the programs, we're talking about slowing the rate of increase--we can
    fund the drug and long-term care programs, which is what I propose to
    do.

    Bosnia

        Q. With the collapse of the Bosnian peace talks, are you going to
    repropose lifting the arms embargo on the Bosnian Muslims and the air
    strikes?
        The President. Let me answer the question in two parts, if I might.
    First of all, they are stalled. I don't believe they are collapsed. The
    United States will do everything we can in the next few days to get the
    parties to resume the talks in good faith.
        Secondly, if while the talks are in abeyance there is abuse by those
    who would seek to interfere with the humanitarian aid, attack the
    protected areas, and resume the sustained shelling of Sarajevo, for
    example, then first I would remind you that the NATO military option is
    very much alive. And secondly, I would say, as you know, I have always
    favored lifting the arms embargo. I think the policy of the United
    Nations as it applies to that government is wrong. But I am in the
    minority; I don't know that I can prevail. But our allies have said
    repeatedly that they don't want to totally eliminate the arms embargo if
    the present state of play is sufficiently abused by other parties. So
    yes, it's still on the table, but I think that the sequence should be
    let's try to get the peace talks started again. Let's remember that
    there is a NATO option that is very much alive if there is an
    interruption of the present state of play that is sufficiently severe.

    [At this point, a question was asked and answered in Russian.]

    Russia-U.S. Relations

        Q. Mr. President, a Russian journalist.
        The President. A Russian journalist?
        Q. Yes. When can be expected the lifting of these old restrictions
    and barriers to the trade and cooperation between Russia and the United
    States back from the cold war period?
        The President. When the Congress comes back into town next Tuesday,
    we have a list of approximately 60 pieces of legislation that we would
    like to see repealed. And we believe there will be broad bipartisan
    support from both Republicans and Democrats in the Congress for moving
    this legislation through. So I think you will see quick legislative
    action on a whole broad range of issues to recognize the fact that
    Russia is a democracy, is working with us, and that we are moving
    forward together. And I look forward to pushing that package very
    aggressively.

    Vietnam

        Q. You mentioned the Bosnia arms embargo. Within the next couple of
    weeks people expect you to lift the embargo against Vietnam. Have you
    made a decision, sir, and have you discussed

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    with the Prime Minister--what have you discussed about the possibility
    of American POW's in the Soviet Union?
        The President. We're going to go visit. We haven't discussed
    anything about anything yet. We're just about to start our meeting. And
    I've reached no further decisions about Vietnam.

    Middle East Peace Talks

        Q. On the Middle East, you will be discussing, I'm sure, that with
    Russia, that played a major role. What is the latest development that
    you know of? Are you very optimistic on the Middle East?
        The President. I'm still hopeful. The parties, I think, have been
    quite candid with the public and the press about some continuing
    difficulties. But they're really working hard and with great candor, I
    think, with one another. I'm hopeful. We've been up the hill and down
    the hill before with the Middle East, but these people are really
    working at it, and I think their hearts as well as their minds are in
    it. I think we should keep our fingers crossed. The United States will
    continue to do what we have done. We're just a sponsor of this process.
    They will have to make the agreement. And I think there's reason for
    hope.
        Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 12:15 p.m. in the Rose Garden at the White
    House. A tape was not available for verification of the content of these
    remarks.