[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book I)]
[February 28, 1995]
[Pages 275-276]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Exchange With Reporters Prior to Discussions With Prime Minister
Wim Kok of The Netherlands
February 28, 1995

Iran

    Q. Mr. President, are you concerned about Iran placing antiaircraft 
missiles at the mouth of the Persian Gulf?
    The President. I think that I'll wait until later to answer any 
questions.
    Q. Even the ones--the Republicans saying that they're willing to 
change the balanced budget amendment so that the courts cannot raise 
taxes or cut spending?

The Netherlands

    Q. And about The Netherlands--[laughter]----
    The President. It's a great country and a great ally of the United 
States.

[At this point, one group of reporters left the room, and another group 
entered.]

``Apache'' Helicopters

    Q. Mr. President, how will you react if the Dutch Government decides 
not to buy Apache helicopters?
    The President. Well, that's a decision for the Dutch Government to 
make. Obviously, I hope that that will be the decision because I think 
on the merits, it's the best product. But that's a decision that the 
Government has to make.

[[Page 276]]

    Q. Mr. President, are you trying to sell the Prime Minister on the 
benefits of the Apache helicopter?
    The President. I've already done that. I've already made my pitch, 
if you will.
    Prime Minister Kok. And Mr. President, if we don't buy them, we 
remain a great country.
    The President. That's right. We have--you know, our relationship 
with the Dutch, it's a very--it's a deep and broad and complex one. 
There are a lot of things involved in it, and this is just one part of 
it. We are allies in every sense of the word, in so many ways. And we 
have to continue to work together. There are a lot of problems in Europe 
and beyond that require our cooperation and our mutual support. And of 
course, we have a terrific commercial relationship as well. So we have a 
lot riding on this relationship, and no single element of it can be 
allowed to define it.

United Nations Peacekeeping

    Q. [Inaudible]--about U.N. peacekeeping forces that may be in 
jeopardy because of the attitude of the Republican Party?
    The President. Well, I don't agree with the attitude of the party 
with regard to the peacekeeping forces in Bosnia and with regard to at 
least some of what I've seen in the House of Representatives on 
peacekeeping generally. I believe the United States should participate 
in peacekeeping. I think we should pay our way. I think we should 
continue to be a strong force there.
    With regard to Bosnia, I think we should--the United States should 
support the Contact Group and should support those countries that do 
have their soldiers on the ground and at risk there. And we have said, 
for example, if we had to withdraw, if UNPROFOR collapsed, we would try 
to do our part to help people get out of Bosnia safely. But I think it 
would be a mistake for the United States to go off on its own and start 
making independent Bosnia policy. We don't have our soldiers there. The 
Europeans do have soldiers there; the Canadians have soldiers there. 
They have put their lives at risk. We have spent a lot of money in 
Bosnia, and we have supported from air and sea and from our hospital in 
Croatia, and a lot of other ways we've supported the operation of the 
U.N. in Bosnia.
    Q. So you're with our Prime Minister and against the Republicans in 
this matter?
    The President. That's correct. That's essentially----
    Q. [Inaudible]
    The President. [Inaudible]--Constitution----
    Q. [Inaudible]
    The President. There has to be a difference of opinion in the United 
States or you're on the long end of it--you're in the right position. 
[Laughter]

Note: The exchange began at 10:27 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. A tape was not available for verification of the content of this 
exchange.