[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).