    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [June 17, 1996]
    [Pages 921-922]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 921]]

    Remarks Prior to Discussions With President Glafcos Clerides of Cyprus
    and an Exchange With Reporters
    June 17, 1996

    Russian Elections, Trade With China, and Church Burnings in the South

        President Clinton.  Let me begin by saying how pleased I am that
    President Clerides is here. We want to discuss how the United States can
    help to promote a settlement that is fair and peaceful in Cyprus and
    what we can do in that regard. I intend to ask my Special Emissary,
    Richard Beattie, to go back to the region soon to explore further
    actions that the United States can take.
        With regard to the elections in Russia, first, the United States
    applauds the fact that there was an election that, as far as we can
    tell, not only had a substantially high turnout but was a free and
    fairly conducted one. We now look forward to the next stage, the runoff
    between President Yeltsin and Mr. Zyuganov. We reaffirm our support for
    democracy and for market reforms. And we will be watching the
    development of events with great interest.
        But this is a very significant thing for Russia to have this
    election. This had never happened before in a thousand years, where they
    elected a leader, and then they're going to have another election. And
    the Russian people are to be complimented, and the Russian leadership is
    to be complimented for supporting their Constitution and the electoral
    process. And we very much hope that Russia will continue to support
    democracy and reform.
        With regard to China, as all of you know, we have been involved in
    an intellectual property rights dispute with China which has cost a lot
    of money and jobs to the United States. I am pleased that a good
    agreement has been reached with the Chinese which will protect
    intellectual property rights and avoid sanctions and allow us to go
    forward in ways that will be good for the relationship between the
    United States and China and good for the interest of American jobs and
    American businesses. I think this proves that staying involved and
    engaged with the Chinese through the difficult times as well as the good
    ones is the right course of action, and I am pleased with what's
    happened.
        I'd like to make one final comment if I might. I'm appalled, along
    with all Americans, that this wave of church burnings has continued. My
    heart goes out to the people in North Carolina and Georgia who are
    affected. I am very much looking forward to the meeting on Wednesday
    with the Governors and the attorneys general and some other officials
    from the States affected, and I intend to continue to work to involve
    more people in this and to search for all the options at our disposal to
    try to resolve this matter.
        But the--we need every person from every walk of life and all faiths
    in America to speak up against this. And the American people need to
    search their hearts about this. This has got to stop. This has got to
    stop. There is not a country in the history of the world that has valued
    religious liberty and valued religious expression more than the United
    States. This tears at the very heart of what it means to be an American.
    And I intend to keep working on it until we get some resolution of it.

    Russian Elections

        Q. Mr. President, are you surprised that the vote in Russia was as
    close as it was? Do you find that threatening in any way the course of
    U.S.-Russian relations?
        President Clinton. No. President Yeltsin got about the vote he was
    predicted to get in the polls, and Mr. Zyuganov got more than he was
    predicted to get in the polls. But polling is inexact. And I think the
    main thing is there seems to have been a heavy majority of people who
    voted for the democratic process and for the path of reform. And that's
    good news.
        Q. Have you spoken to President Yeltsin, Mr. President, or do you
    plan to after the voting?
        President Clinton. I have not. I hope that we get a chance to talk.
    He's obviously got a lot of fish to fry right now, and he will be doing
    a number of things over the next couple of days. But I'm hopeful that we
    will have a chance to talk. I want to congratulate him on the election,
    not only on the showing, the strong showing that he made, but also on
    the fact that he really supported the Constitution, he supported the
    institution of the electoral process. And the very fact that it occurred
    in such a

    [[Page 922]]

    vigorous fashion I think is a real credit to him, as much as any other
    single person in Russia. And probably more than any other single person,
    he wanted Russia to be a free country that picked its leaders by
    elections. So he's got two reasons to be happy today.

    Senate Whitewater Report

        Q. Mr. President, can we ask you about the Whitewater draft report?
    Could we ask you about that? The Whitewater----
        President Clinton. I have no comment.
        Q. ----about the leak over the weekend?
        Q. Are you concerned about these leaks?
        Q. ----about the report itself, sir?
        President Clinton. That's just standard practice.

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

    President Clerides' Visit

        President Clinton. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Let me begin
    by saying how glad I am to have the President here and how much I look
    forward to a discussion with him. Our bilateral relations are in
    excellent shape, I believe, and I believe they'll get stronger as time
    goes on. I'm anxious to see if there's anything else the United States
    can do to support a settlement of the matters in Cyprus in a way that is
    fair to all concerned. I'm going to ask my Special Emissary, Richard
    Beattie, to go back to the region in the next few weeks to see what else
    we can do, and I want the President to give me some guidance about what
    he thinks we can do in this regard. But I'm glad that he's here, and I'm
    looking forward to having a chance to visit with him.

    Aegean Peace Process

        Q. Mr. President, do you think instability in Turkey poses trouble
    for the Cyprus initiative and also for the Aegean?
        President Clinton. The instability?
        Q. The domestic instability in Turkey.
        President Clinton. Well, it's difficult for any government that's
    not settled to make agreements, because agreements normally require some
    concessions by all concerned. And we hope that Turkey will be able to
    resolve its internal problems and establish a strong government that can
    effectively enter into agreement with its neighbors.
        Q. Mr. President, will you still intend to keep your promise that
    1996 will be the year for Cyprus?
        President Clinton. Well, we're doing what we can. But we--the United
    States cannot control all the events in the region. If it were up to us,
    we would have had a peace and resolution of this a long time ago. And
    we'll do what we can to be a positive force there.
        Q. Mr. President, do you consider the ongoing tension between Greece
    and Turkey as a problem toward a Cyprus solution?
        President Clinton. I think it is a problem toward the Cyprus
    solution, and I think it is a problem generally. And both Greece and
    Turkey have been allies of the United States through NATO and generally,
    and we would like to see the tensions between the two countries
    lessened. We think there would be enormous benefits not only to the
    Greeks and the Turks but to the solution of other problems in the area.
    And we will continue to do what we can in that regard. And I think as
    the situation clarifies itself in Turkey we may be able to do more in
    the years--in the months ahead. But we will use the months remaining in
    1996 to do what we can to help resolve the Cyprus issue and to help
    resolve the tensions between the two countries.
        Q. Do you take a position on the Turkish questioning of the
    sovereignty?
        President Clinton. Do you want to say anything to your own press? I
    think the President should be able to talk. Come on.
        President Clerides. As you all know, I'm here at the invitation of
    President Clinton. And I wish to take this opportunity to express my
    appreciation and thanks for the interest the President is showing in
    helping to promote a solution to the Cyprus problem. We have a variety
    of issues to discuss, and I think this discussion should be carried out
    without the press. So that's all I have to say.
        Q. Mr. President, one last question. Do you take a position on
    Turkish questioning of sovereignty over Greek islands, Mr. President?
        President Clinton. No more questions.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:30 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to President Boris Yeltsin and
    Presidential candidate Gennady Zyuganov of Russia. A tape was not
    available for verification of the content of this exchange.