    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
    [May 4, 1999]
    [Pages 685-686]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Departure for Europe and an Exchange With Reporters
    May 4, 1999

    Situation in the Balkans

        The President. Good afternoon. As you know, I am leaving in a few
    minutes for Europe. But first, I would like to say just a few words
    about what we've been doing on Kosovo in the last

    [[Page 686]]

    24 hours and what we intend to do over the next few days.
        Yesterday I met with Mr. Chernomyrdin, the Russian envoy. I reaffirmed our support for his
    efforts and our willingness to seize every diplomatic possibility for
    Serbian authorities to meet the requirements that NATO has articulated.
    I reaffirmed what all the Allies have agreed those requirements are,
    including withdrawal of Serbian security forces from Kosovo and the
    deployment of an international security force with NATO at its core.
    Only then will the refugees have the confidence to return, which is,
    after all, what we are working for. Only then will the KLA have an
    incentive to demobilize, which will contribute to peace and stability
    for all of Kosovo's people, including its ethnic Serbs. Only then will
    we have a chance to achieve a durable solution to the problem of Kosovo.
        Tomorrow I will meet with Secretary General Solana and General Clark. We will
    discuss the progress of NATO's air campaign, which continues to grow in
    intensity and impact. I will speak with the airmen who are flying
    missions over Kosovo and Serbia out of Spangdahlem, Germany, and visit
    our humanitarian relief operations at Ramstein. Our men and women in
    uniform are doing their jobs with uncommon courage and skill. They have
    the support of the American people. They should hear unqualified support
    from their leaders in Washington.
        On Thursday I will meet with Chancellor Schroeder and go to a refugee reception center in Ingelheim,
    Germany. We will hear the stories of the people fleeing the ethnic
    cleansing in Kosovo. We will assure them of our determination and
    resolve to see them return with security and self-government. That is
    what our effort in Kosovo is all about.
        We need to remember that there is no middle ground between returning
    these innocent people to their homes and turning away from their faith.
    Whatever can be negotiated, it is not that. They have to be able to go
    home safe and secure. We cannot see what we have seen with our own eyes
    and take refuge in the false comfort of indifference or impatience. We
    have to take a stand. We have done that. We have to see our effort
    through. We will do that.
        I want to thank again all of our allies for the steadfast support
    that we are jointly giving to our common efforts. We will continue to do
    that until our simple and plain objectives are met.
        Q. Mr. President, what can you negotiate without giving up your core
    demands?
        Q. [Inaudible]--any indication at all from Mr. Chernomyrdin that
    President Milosevic is prepared to move toward NATO's demands at all?
        The President. Well, I don't know what he's prepared to do. I appreciate the fact that he let
    our American soldiers come home. That was the right decision. They
    weren't even involved in the operation.
        It seems to me that if he asked the
    question, what is best for the Serbian people over the long run? What is
    most likely to preserve the territorial integrity of Serbia over the
    long run? What is most likely to give us a result where Serbia can join
    with its neighbors in a common endeavor to promote prosperity and peace
    and, therefore, the natural strengths that Belgrade and Serbia have
    because of the size of their country and the abilities of their people?
    What is most likely to promote that? Then the answer will clearly be:
    letting the Kosovars come home, having an international force to protect
    them and the Serb minority in Kosovo, and then getting on about the
    business of building a better future for all the people of southeastern
    Europe.
        So, I think if the right questions are asked, then this is not a
    defeat for Serbia we're seeking. What we're seeking is the simple right
    of the Kosovar Albanians to live in peace on their own land, without
    fear of cleansing because of their religious or their ethnic background,
    and a simple statement that in Europe there will be no more ethnic
    cleansing. We will not usher in the 21st century with the worst
    nightmares of the 20th.
        Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 5:09 p.m. on the South Lawn at the White
    House, prior to his departure for Brussels, Belgium. In his remarks, he
    referred to Special Envoy and former Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin
    of Russia; Secretary General Javier Solana of the North Atlantic Treaty
    Organization; Gen. Wesley K. Clark, USA, Supreme Allied Commander
    Europe; Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of Germany; President Slobodan
    Milosevic of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro);
    and Staff Sgt. Andrew A. Ramirez, USA, Staff Sgt. Christopher J. Stone,
    USA, and Spec. Steven M. Gonzales, USA, infantrymen released from
    custody in Serbia. The President also referred to the Kosovo Liberation
    Army (KLA).