[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 36 (Monday, September 13, 1993)]
[Pages 1704-1705]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement by the Press Secretary on the President's Discussions With 
President Boris Yeltsin of Russia

 September 7, 1993

    President Clinton spoke by phone today with President Boris Yeltsin 
of Russia for about 40 minutes to discuss several bilateral and foreign 
policy issues.
    President Clinton reiterated strong U.S. support for Russian 
political and market reform and the work of President Yeltsin and the 
Russian Government to keep those reforms on track. They discussed the 
status of existing and prospective U.S. assistance for the reform 
process.
    The President agreed that last week's meeting in Washington of the 
Joint Commission on Energy and Space, led by Vice President Gore and 
Russian Prime Minister Chernomyrdin, was a great success. They also 
agreed on the need for further progress,

[[Page 1705]]

particularly on a number of U.S. private sector energy investment 
projects.
    Turning to the Middle East, the Presidents welcomed the historic 
progress in negotiations between Israel and the PLO in recent weeks and 
pledged to work together to promote peace in the Middle East region.
    On other foreign policy issues, President Yeltsin briefed the 
President on his recent trip to Ukraine. President Clinton welcomed the 
progress achieved by President Yeltsin and President Kravchuk, 
particularly regarding the nuclear weapons now deployed in Ukraine. The 
President affirmed U.S. interest in working with both parties to assist 
in the resolution of outstanding issues.
    The President congratulated President Yeltsin on the withdrawal of 
Russian forces from Lithuania last week and reaffirmed U.S. support for 
a rapid and complete withdrawal of forces from Latvia and Estonia. The 
two leaders also discussed their support for the ongoing effort to 
promote peace in Bosnia.