    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [June 27, 1996]
    [Page 984]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Exchange With Reporters Prior to Discussions With President Jacques
    Chirac of France in Lyons
    June 27, 1996

    Terrorist Attack in Saudi Arabia

        Q. Mr. President, is there any way the tragedy in Saudi Arabia could
    have been avoided, given the history of terrorism in the Middle East,
    especially in the aftermath of the agency bombing in Beirut? Why weren't
    those airmen protected?
        President Clinton. Well, as you know, they were behind a fence that
    gave them a 35-yard cushion, and the bomb was just bigger than anyone
    calculated could be gotten in that close to the building.
        So I think the casualties were far smaller than they would have been
    had not the security precautions been taken. But you may be sure that
    the Defense Department and the others who are in charge of this are
    reviewing the security operations to see what else should be done, to
    see if we can even do better in the future.
        Q. Is there any indication yet who is responsible for that?
        President Clinton. We're working on it, but I don't want to announce
    a conclusion until I know what the facts are. We're working very hard,
    and so are the Saudis. And I want to thank, I might say if I could, I'd
    like to thank President Chirac for his expression of condolences and
    support for the United States. And he said to me--and I hope that you
    will have some statement coming out later today.
        President Chirac. I just want to say to the American press how
    deeply horrified the French people were at this barbaric act that has
    been perpetrated in Saudi Arabia. And I can assure you that you have the
    heartfelt condolences of France to the families of the victims and those
    who have been wounded and to the American people.

    Note: The exchange began at 3 p.m. at the Prefecture. A tape was not
    available for verification of the content of this exchange.