    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
    [April 5, 1999]
    [Pages 499-502]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the Situation in the Balkans and an Exchange With Reporters
    April 5, 1999

        The President.  Good afternoon. I want to speak for a few moments
    today about the situation in Kosovo, the goals of our mission, and our
    efforts to respond to the humanitarian crisis there.
        The weather is now clearing in the region, and the air campaign is
    continuing. We're striking hard at Serbia's machinery of repression,
    while making a deliberate effort to minimize harm to innocent people.
    Serbian forces, on the other hand, continue their deliberate, systematic
    attacks against civilians, who are guilty of nothing more than being
    ethnic Albanians.
        Mr. Milosevic has created a
    humanitarian disaster in Kosovo. He can end it today by stopping the
    killing. He could end the bombing. He could end the suffering of the
    refugees by withdrawing from Kosovo his military police and paramilitary
    forces, by accepting the deployment of an international security force,
    and making it possible for all refugees to return, as we move toward a
    political framework for Kosovo on the basis of the Rambouillet accords.
        But more empty promises and token half-measures won't do the job. A
    commitment to cease killing in a Kosovo denied its freedom and devoid of
    its people is not acceptable.
        If Mr. Milosevic does not do what is
    necessary, NATO will continue an air campaign. It will be undiminished,
    unceasing, and unrelenting. It will inflict such damage that either he
    will change his calculations, or we will seriously diminish his capacity
    to maintain his grip and impose his control on Kosovo. We are prepared
    to sustain this effort for the long haul. Our plan is to persist until
    we prevail.
        We know we are up against a dictator
    who has shown time and again that he would rather rule over rubble than
    not rule at all, someone who recognized no limits on his behavior except
    those imposed by others. We have seen this kind of evil conduct before
    in this century, but rarely has the world stood up to it as rapidly and
    with such unity and resolve as we see today with NATO's coalition of 19
    democracies, each with its own domestic pressures and procedures, but
    all united in our outrage and in our determination to see this mission
    through. In the meantime, we've got to do all we can to aid the victims
    of Mr. Milosevic's expulsion policy.
        Before the Serbian offensive began, we pre-positioned 36,000 metric
    tons of food in the region, enough to feed half a million people for 3
    months. We worked with the United Nations to ready lifesaving supplies
    at Kosovo's borders with Albania and Macedonia. But it is impossible to
    prepare fully for the chaos that this kind of cruelty inevitably
    creates.
        We now have committed another $50 million, over and above the 100
    million we had provided

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    before the current crisis. Also at our urging, NATO has put its 11,000
    troops in Macedonia to work addressing the humanitarian crisis. It is
    planning to deploy several thousand troops to Albania, not only to
    provide aid but to provide security for relief operations.
        We've begun shipping 500,000 humanitarian daily rations for refugees
    in Albania, the first of which arrived in Tirana yesterday. Today a
    large shipment was delivered to Italy by the first of eight 747 flights.
    We'll be flying 10 missions daily by C-130 aircraft to Italy--from Italy
    to Tirana, and taking supplies from there to the border by helicopter.
        The first of four shipments of tents for Albania will be flown from
    Travis Air Force Base in California soon. We're also shipping supplies
    out of bases in Germany for Macedonia, and we're preparing an additional
    600,000 daily rations for that country.
        Today, in Los Angeles, the Vice President is meeting with Albanian-American families whose
    relatives are suffering in Kosovo. Today Secretary Albright and I have named Brian Atwood, who is here with us today, the Administrator for our
    Agency for International Development, to coordinate our overall
    humanitarian response in the region.
        He will head up a coordinating council
    that will include three other distinguished public officials. Julia
    Taft, our Assistant Secretary of State for
    Population, Refugees, and Migration, will take the lead in response by
    civilian agencies to this humanitarian crisis. She is now in Geneva,
    conferring with the U.N. High Commissioner on Refugees. James Lee
    Witt, the Director of our Federal Emergency
    Management Agency, who is also present, will coordinate private
    donations to the aid effort and help to ensure that they go where they
    need to go. FEMA will also provide its expertise to our assessment teams
    in the region. Finally, I am announcing that Lieutenant General Mike
    McDuffie, who is here, will be our
    military coordinator for this operation, which we are calling Operation
    Sustain Hope.
        I hope American citizens will help, as well. We've established an
    800 number. It's 1-800-USAID-RELIEF. Now, I know that's got 11 numbers
    in it, but we tried it just before we came in, and it works anyway. And
    it's easier to remember: 1-800-USAID-RELIEF. Any American can call and
    make contributions to private humanitarian organizations and can get
    information about the private organizations that are providing relief.
    Many of them are represented in this room today by the people who are
    sitting here, and I want to thank all of them from the bottom of my
    heart for their commitment and their tireless efforts.
        Americans all over this country want to know what they can do. I can
    tell you, right now, in the short run, with all those people building up
    at the borders, the most important thing the American people can do
    right now is to make financial contributions to these organizations.
    They're there; they're organized; they know who the people are; they
    know how to deliver the relief; and we can get it done. We do need help.
    We're doing all we can. We need more help.
        So if we can get this 800 number out--and again, I'm hoping that the
    fact that there are more numbers than normal in it will actually
    increase the knowledge of it--1-800-USAID-RELIEF. It will help a lot. I
    know the American people are profoundly concerned about this. We can
    tell by mail and the calls coming into the White House, and I hope very
    much that we will see a big upsurge in personal donations to help the
    relief effort as well.
        Now, let me say in addition to that, we've got to do something to
    take the pressure off of Albania and Macedonia in terms of the sheer
    numbers of people that are there. Many nations, from Norway to Turkey,
    have agreed to take in large numbers of refugees temporarily, until they
    can go home. As others do their part, we should be prepared to do ours,
    as well. Today I can say that we are prepared to accept up to 20,000
    refugees. Our goal is to take some of the burden off the struggling
    frontline nations.
        But let me be clear: The ethnic cleansing of Kosovo cannot stand as
    a permanent event. We cannot say, ``Well, we just take all these folks
    and forget about their rights to go home.'' I don't believe anyone wants
    to do that. That's not what we're about. But we have to help deal with
    the practical, immediate human problems these families face and that
    these frontline nations face. The refugees belong in their own homes, on
    their own land. Our immediate goal is to provide relief; our long-term
    goal is to give them their right to return.

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    1988 Pan Am 103 Bombing Suspects

        Now, before I close, I'd like to say just a word about another
    important development in another part of the world, something that's
    been of concern to me for many years. Today the two suspects
    accused of carrying out the bombing of Pam Am 103 in 1988 were delivered
    by the United Nations to the custody of Dutch authorities, to be tried
    before a Scottish court sitting in The Netherlands. This is a moment
    much awaited and long overdue.
        When I became President, we promised the families of Pan Am 103 that
    we would pursue the suspects in this case no matter how long it took. We
    have worked hard on this for years. I want to thank all the people who
    are still in the administration, and some of those who have gone on to
    other endeavors, for their passionate devotion to this effort.
        For over a decade, the families have kept the memories of their
    loved ones alive. Now our determination and that of our friends in Great
    Britain and elsewhere finally has paid off. Finally, diplomacy and
    sanctions have produced the result we wanted. Finally, we have an
    opportunity to see justice done.
        I know that I speak for all the American people when I say that our
    thoughts and prayers and support are with the families of Pan Am 103.
    And we thank all of those who are involved and who have played a role in
    making this important day come to pass.
        Thank you very much.

    Pentagon Support for Kosovo Policy

        Q. Mr. President, do your military share your goals in the operation
    on Kosovo? We have read many, many stories that----
        The President. I know that.
        Q. ----the Pentagon people are not with you.
        The President. Let me say, I will answer this question, and then I
    think we might want Secretary Cohen and
    General Shelton to answer it, since they're
    here. And I want to give them a chance to comment.
        First, let me say that one of the jobs that the Secretary of Defense
    and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs have is to report to me faithfully
    the view of the Chiefs, the Service Chiefs, the members of the Joint
    Chiefs of Staff. And they have performed that faithfully, so that when there is a
    difference of opinion, when there is even a nuance, they have let me
    know that, as far as I know, in every important matter. Ultimately,
    after all, I am responsible for all these decisions and must bear the
    burden of them, regardless.
        Now, in this case, everybody's first choice was diplomacy. Let me
    remind--let's do a little bit of brief history here. In February of '98,
    over a year ago, this problem started. We worked on it through diplomacy
    and with the threat of NATO force, all the way up until last fall. In
    October we finally got an agreement that allowed hundreds of thousands
    of people to come down out of the hills to avoid starvation and freezing
    with the pending winter. We all knew--no one was blind to the
    difficulties of having to carry forward with any kind of military
    sanctions.
        Now, that worked. Then the problems arose again this year. When the
    talks failed, we had a series of difficult choices. In the end,
    everybody agreed that of a bunch of bad options, our military campaign
    was the best available option to show aggressive action, to keep NATO's
    word, to keep our NATO allies together, and to give us a chance to
    preserve our objectives.
        Secretary Albright made a point--I
    believe it was yesterday--that I would like to reiterate. We have a lot
    of tough questions to answer about this operation. And I am quite sure
    that we cannot answer every one to everyone's satisfaction. But I would
    far rather be standing here answering these questions with these people
    talking about this endeavor, than I would to be standing here having you
    ask me why we are permitting a wholesale ethnic slaughter and ethnic
    cleansing and the creation of hundreds of thousands of refugees and not
    lifting a finger to do anything about it.
        So I recognize that I cannot answer every question to everyone's
    satisfaction. That is a legitimate question; all the questions are. We
    are doing the best we can to keep the Alliance together, to be
    forthright, to be clear, and to achieve our objectives. And I believe we
    will prevail.
        Q. Well, are the military with you?
        The President. My impression is--and again, I think I owe it to the
    Secretary of Defense and General
    Shelton, to give them a chance to answer,
    because they're here--that everyone agreed that while there were
    problems with the air campaign, including the weather, which all of you
    saw last week, that this was the best available option for us to
    maximize the possibility of achieving our mission of standing up

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    against ethnic cleansing, fulfilling NATO's commitment, getting the
    refugees to be able to go back home, live in peace and security, and
    have some autonomy.
        So that's what I believe. But I want to--Mr. Secretary Cohen?
        Q. Will you come back after they answer, Mr. President?
        The President. No. [Laughter]
        Q. Can we just ask----
        The President. No, no--go ahead--I want Secretary Cohen to answer the question.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:45 p.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the
    White House. In his remarks, he referred to President Slobodan Milosevic
    of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro); Lt. Gen.
    John M. (Mike) McDuffie, USA, Director for Logistics (J-4), Department
    of Defense Joint Staff; and Pan Am 103 bombing suspects Lamen Khalifa
    Fhimah and Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi. The transcript released by the
    Office of the Press Secretary also included the closing remarks of
    Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen.