    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 30, Number 3 (Monday, January 24, 1994)]
    [Pages 55-56]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Exchange With Reporters in Brussels, Belgium

    January 9, 1994

    Speech to Future Leaders of Europe

        Q. Mr. President, how do you think your speech was received tonight?
        The President. Oh, very well. I mean, you know, we consciously
    picked a very small room, and the Europeans are normally much more
    polite when speeches are given like that. It was a serious speech. But a
    lot of the students came up to me afterwards and said that they were
    pleased to know that we were thinking about their future and that they
    found the ideas basically things they agreed with. I was very
    encouraged----
        Q. Mr. President, can you tell us about the Ukraine?
        The President. ----and then after I got out into the crowd in the
    Place, there was much more sort of overt enthusiasm. And the Prime
    Minister and others were saying, ``You know, that's the way we are.
    We're restrained in speeches, but these people are glad to see you. Look
    at the Place.''

    Ukraine

        Q. What can you tell us about the Ukraine, Mr. President? Are you
    close to an agreement, or do you have an agreement? Can Kravchuk sell
    it? Might we go to Kiev?
        The President. All I can tell you tonight is that we worked very,
    very hard to bring the three of us together, and we've made a terrific
    amount of progress. And at least when I left to go to the speech I was
    not in a position to make an announcement.
        Q. But you think it might be possible that this could happen and
    that Kravchuk could sell it?
        The President. Well, I don't want to--presumably, Mr. Kravchuk
    wouldn't agree to anything he didn't think he could sell. I think--I
    feel--I'm proud of the work that's been done, and I appreciate very much
    the attitude that Kravchuk and Yeltsin have brought to this whole
    endeavor. But I don't think I can say any more tonight. I don't even
    want to----

    Partnership For Peace

        Q. Do you think Eastern European countries are going to be reassured
    by the Partnership For Peace?
        The President. I hope so.
        Q. [Inaudible]--giving Russia veto?
        The President. I think they need to know this is not a question of
    veto power. But keep in mind there are certain responsibilities inherent
    in being in NATO, first of all, that NATO allies all remind each other
    of all the time. And what I said tonight I want to reemphasize. What I
    want to do is to leave open the possibility of creating the best
    possible future for Europe, where they all have the chance to be
    democracies, they all have a chance to be market economies, they all
    have a chance to respect one another's securities and to support it and
    to do it in a way that also permits us to do the best we can if the best
    future is not open to us. That's what the Partnership For Peace does.
    It's not giving anybody a veto on future NATO membership.
        Q. But what do you say to people who say that NATO isn't relevant if
    it can't guarantee the peace, let's say, in Bosnia?
        The President. Well, that was never the purpose of NATO. The purpose
    of NATO was to guarantee the peace and security of the countries that
    were member nations. And when the United States asked NATO to approve
    some actions in and around Bosnia, it was the first time we'd ever done
    anything out of the area of the NATO members themselves.
        So we're working on this. It's not been established yet that anyone
    is capable of solving a civil war in another country. That's not been
    established yet.

    [[Page 56]]

        Q. [Inaudible]--air strikes will be discussed tomorrow, air strikes
    possible tomorrow?
        The President. Good night, everybody.

    Note: The exchange began at approximately 8:30 p.m. at the Au Vieux
    Saint Martin Restaurant. A tape was not available for verification of
    the content of this exchange. This item was not received in time for
    publication in the appropriate issue.