    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book II)]
    [November 29, 1995]
    [Pages 1792-1795]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's News Conference With Prime Minister John Major of the
    United Kingdom in London, England
    November 29, 1995

        Prime Minister Major. Can I, firstly, welcome the President here to
    London. I'm delighted he's been able to come in what is, I know, for him
    an extremely busy time. And he and Mrs. Clinton are extremely welcome
    guests here.
        The President's come to London fresh from explaining to Congress and
    the American people his plans for a very large United States
    contribution to the peace implementation force in Bosnia. Bosnia is, and
    has been for some years, a shared responsibility. British troops have
    been there now for something over 3 years, in numbers ranging up to
    8,000 at a time. And both of our countries have made huge contributions
    to the international aid effort.
        What I think we now need to do is to carry the remarkable Dayton
    agreements through to a successful conclusion. Dayton was a very hard-
    won and hugely important breakthrough by the United States and her
    Contact Group partners. And for the first time in the many discussions
    over the years that the President and I have had on Bosnia, we can look
    this morning at a realistic prospect of a real and lasting peace in
    Bosnia.
        But it is still a fragile prospect, and we need to make sure that it
    doesn't in some fashion just slip away from us. And that is why we both
    agree that it's vital to deploy a genuinely effective implementation
    force to Bosnia as soon as the peace agreements come into effect. I very
    much welcome the President's intention to contribute a large force to
    that particular cause.
        I can certainly confirm that we shall do the same. We intend to make
    a large contribution; around 13,000 troops will be the size of the
    British contribution to that force. They will find themselves working in
    the future, as so many times in the past, with their American colleagues
    in a common endeavor. And I believe it's an endeavor of immense
    importance to the future of Bosnia and for many places beyond it. And I
    look forward to the peace implementation conference in London in a
    couple of weeks' time,

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    which will work on the very important civil aspects of that peace
    agreement.
        The President and I this morning have also had the opportunity of
    talking about Northern Ireland and about the twin-track initiative that
    I launched yesterday with the Irish Prime Minister. I am delighted that
    the President will tomorrow become the first serving United States
    President to visit Northern Ireland. I have no doubt that that will give
    a huge encouragement to the people in Northern Ireland who have been
    working for peace. And I'm sure that it will boost the very valuable
    help that George Mitchell will be giving us in his work, for he has
    generously agreed to undertake the work as chairman of the new body to
    look at the question of decommissioning.
        George Mitchell, of course, is no stranger to the situation in
    Northern Ireland and over the years has given us very great help in
    promoting investment in Northern Ireland's economy. So I think the
    chairmanship of the international body is in very good hands. And I'm
    very grateful to Senator Mitchell for undertaking it and for the
    President for permitting that.
        I had the opportunity with the President this morning of discussing
    the present situation in Northern Ireland. What I hope people will see
    with his visit there in a day or so is the changed life in Northern
    Ireland. For far too long, the world has been very familiar with the
    negative side of Northern Ireland. I think the President's visit will
    enable him and his colleagues to see how very dramatically life has
    changed there over the past 15 months. And we look forward to carrying
    that further.
        We had the opportunity of discussing a number of other matters, but
    I think in the limited time available, I won't touch upon those at the
    moment, but I will invite the President to say a few words.
        The President. Thank you very much, Prime Minister. This is my sixth
    trip to Europe as President and the latest of the many, many sessions I
    have had with Prime Minister Major. Europe and the United States have
    unbreakable ties, but the United Kingdom and the United States enjoy a
    unique and enduring relationship.
        Because of our values and the work we have done together over the
    last 50 years, the things we stand for are more and more becoming widely
    accepted all around the world. Today we discussed our ongoing efforts to
    reinforce our partnership; to reduce the threat of weapons of mass
    destruction; to combat terrorism, international crime, and drug
    trafficking; and to advance the global march of peace. And of course, we
    mostly discussed Northern Ireland and Bosnia.
        Let me begin by just congratulating the Prime Minister on the
    important initiative that he and Prime Minister Bruton announced
    yesterday to advance the process of peace in Northern Ireland. The twin-
    track initiative will establish an international body to address arms
    decommissioning and at the same time will initiate preliminary political
    talks in which all parties will be invited to participate. This is an
    opportunity for them to begin a dialog in which all views are
    represented and all voices are heard.
        I cannot say enough to the British people how much I appreciate and
    admire the Prime Minister in taking this kind of risk for peace. This
    was not an easy action for him to take, not an easy action for Prime
    Minister Bruton to take. Very often, people who take risks for peace are
    not appreciated for doing so. But we in the United States appreciate
    this work and hope very much that it will prove fruitful. Tomorrow I
    will visit a Northern Ireland that is closer to true peace than at any
    time in a generation. And the risks that have been taken to date by the
    Prime Minister and by the Irish Prime Minister and his predecessor are a
    big reason why.
        The United Kingdom has also taken extraordinary risks for peace in
    Bosnia. The United States deeply appreciates all this country has done
    to end the suffering in Bosnia, your brave soldiers who risked their
    lives as part of UNPROFOR, your countless humanitarian relief efforts to
    aid the people of that wartorn land, your diplomatic and military
    strength as members of the Contact Group and NATO.
        Now the people of Bosnia have made a commitment to peace, and we
    have to do our part to help it succeed. That means participating in
    NATO's Implementation Force, not to fight a war in Bosnia but to help
    secure a peace. It means implementing the arms controls provisions of
    that agreement while ensuring that the Bosnian Federation has the means
    to defend itself once NATO withdraws. And it means supporting the
    reconstruction in Bosnia so that all the people there can share in the
    benefits of peace. If we can secure the peace in Bosnia--and I am
    convinced that we can and will--

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    that will bring us a step closer to the goal of a free, peaceful, and
    undivided Europe.
        The Prime Minister and I discussed developments in Russia, including
    the upcoming parliamentary elections, and agreed that fuller integration
    of Russia and Europe remains a key goal that both of us share. We also
    reaffirmed our joint determination to open NATO to new membership in a
    gradual and open way.
        I also welcome the priority the United Kingdom has given to
    strengthening the Atlantic community. This weekend at the summit meeting
    between the United States and the European Union in Madrid, I hope we
    can agree on a vigorous Atlantic agenda that we can both work to
    implement.
        Let me just close by saying that we live in a time of remarkable
    opportunity for peace and prosperity, for open markets and open
    societies, for human dignity and human decency. Together the United
    States and the United Kingdom have helped to shape this hopeful moment
    in our history. We have some more work to do. We just talked about two
    of our biggest challenges. But I am confident that our people are up to
    those challenges and that that work will be done.
        Thank you.
        Prime Minister Major. Now, the President has a speech to deliver in
    Parliament not very long ahead, but we can take just a few questions.
        Yes, the lady in the red scarf.

    Bosnia

        Q. President Clinton, could you let us know if one of the things you
    discussed was arming and training the Bosnian military and how that will
    work as part of this peace process?
        The President. Yes, we discussed that, but in our roles as a part of
    the NATO mission, neither the NATO forces of the United States or the
    United Kingdom will be involved in that. There is an agreement among the
    parties that they will work for 6 months to achieve an arms control
    agreement; that they will do everything they can to agree on a fair way
    to reduce the number of arms in Bosnia; that if they fail to reach
    agreement there will be a 25 percent reduction by all the parties in the
    region, preserving roughly the ratio of arms that exists now between
    Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia but at a smaller level, and that within
    Bosnia proper, the Bosnian Federation will have a roughly 2-to-1 ratio
    of arms and that that will have to be supplied in terms of equipment and
    training by third parties, which we are confident will occur.

    Northern Ireland Peace Process

        Q. Mr. President, do you accept the British Government's position
    that there must be some giving up of arms by the paramilitaries and
    especially by Sinn Fein IRA, before all-party talks can begin?
        The President. I accept the British Government's position announced
    yesterday in the twin tracks. That is, I believe the agreement
    represented--or reflected in what Prime Minister Bruton and Prime
    Minister Major announced yesterday has set forth a framework within
    which these differences of opinion can be resolved. And I hope the
    framework will be accepted by all the parties.
        My answer to you, sir, is that the United States, whether it's in
    the Middle East or Bosnia or in Northern Ireland, has tried to support a
    reasonable peace process, not to dictate the terms or make the
    decisions. The twin-track process is a reasonable peace process. And it
    is not for us to get into the details of the judgment that the countries
    and the parties will have to make.
        Prime Minister Major. Yes, Helen [Helen Thomas, United Press
    International].
        Q. What broke the camel's back on this? You were arguing for so long
    on this one issue. Was there one thing that turned the tide, one
    catalyst?
        Prime Minister Major. Well, there were a whole range of points we've
    been discussing over the last few days. It wasn't just the
    decommissioning issue. There were a range of other issues as well. And I
    think time wore away the difference--time and patience on both sides.
        I think the number of meetings that there have been over the last
    few weeks, the numbers of discussions I've had with John Bruton--I've
    absolutely no doubt both our telephone bills will be astronomical, but
    we think it's worthwhile. It was simply that we saw that a deal needed
    to be reached if we were to regain the momentum and carry this process
    forward.
        We can't deliver peace, John Bruton and I. We can't do that. What we
    can do is facilitate peace. And what we are putting in place is a
    process that will help to carry that capacity for peace forward. Now,
    that can be achieved if the politicians in the north are able to reach
    themselves an agreement that this conflict is

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    over. And what we were seeking was a mechanism of carrying this forward
    so that that work would continue.
        But I emphasize the point, peace isn't in my gift or in John
    Bruton's gift. It is in the gift of all the people who at present have
    caused the conflict. We must bring them together. Constant examining of
    the detailed problems found a way through.
        Q. Did the President's trip have anything to do with it?
        Prime Minister Major. I think the fact that the President's trip--
    the President was coming concentrated the mind.
        Q. Now that you have agreement, are you prepared to accompany the
    President to Belfast on any part of his trip? And like the President,
    are you prepared to meet all the party leaders in Northern Ireland now?
        Prime Minister Major. Well, I've met most of the party leaders in
    Northern Ireland. In due course I will meet them all. I won't be meeting
    them all quite yet. And I think the President is being accompanied by
    the Secretary of State to Northern Ireland. I will be answering
    questions in Parliament.
        Q. Mr. President, is your message to the IRA that they should start
    surrendering their weapons and explosives now, immediately?
        The President. My message to the IRA is that the twin-tracks process
    has provided a mechanism for all of the parties honorably now to bring
    their concerns to the table and to be heard and that, in the end, peace
    means peace, and we're all going to have to support that. But the
    message I should give in public is the same message I would give in
    private: I think the framework set out by Prime Minister Major and Prime
    Minister Bruton is the best opportunity I have seen to resolve all of
    these issues, and I think it should be embraced and I hope it will be.
        Prime Minister Major. Have we time for one more? Yes, gentleman
    there.
        Q. Mr. Prime Minister, do you think Mr. President--the President has
    been too accommodating to Mr. Adams, or do you think it's now--his
    efforts have been worthwhile?
        Prime Minister Major. I don't think it's a question of being
    accommodating at all. American support in this process has always been
    immensely helpful, and the President has always taken a very great
    interest in that process. There is a communal interest in achieving a
    satisfactory settlement in Northern Ireland. It's very much in the
    interest of everybody in Northern Ireland, very close to my heart and
    something very close to the President's heart as well. And I welcome the
    tremendous support he's been, both publicly and privately. I think that
    has been very helpful, and I'm very pleased to have the opportunity of
    thanking him for it in public. Thank you very much, indeed.
        The President. Thank you.

    Note: The President's 106th news conference began at 11:20 a.m. at 10
    Downing Street. A reporter referred to Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Fein.