[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 30, Number 9 (Monday, March 7, 1994)]
[Page 398]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Exchange With Reporters Prior to Discussions With Prime Minister John 
Major in Pittsburgh

February 28, 1994

Northern Ireland

    Q. Mr. President, do you think granting a visa to Gerry Adams paid 
off in terms of progress toward peace in Northern Ireland?
    The President. It's too soon to say. I'm supporting, very strongly 
supporting the initiative that Prime Minister Major and Prime Minister 
Reynolds have undertaken in the joint declaration. I hope it will; it's 
too soon to say. I'm pulling for them.
    Q. Mr. Prime Minister, you obviously saw it differently, or your 
government did, as far as Adams--[inaudible]--this weekend, Sinn Fein 
has not indicated any willingness to call for an end to the arms 
struggle. What is your reaction to that, and what is the President's 
reaction?
    Prime Minister Major. Well, we both want the violence to cease. 
That's what the joint declaration is about. It provides an opportunity 
for the violence to cease and for Sinn Fein to legitimately enter the 
constitutional talks. Now, I think that is a sensible way ahead. It's a 
highway ahead that wasn't there before. It is there now. And I think 
when you look at the opinion expressed by Irishmen right across the 
whole island of Ireland, by an overwhelming majority, they believe that 
that option should be taken. You have to wait and see whether it is.
    Thank you.

[At this point, one group of reporters left the room, and another group 
entered.]

    Q. Do you like that [microphone], Mr. President?
    The President. I wish there were a hunting season on these. 
[Laughter]
    Prime Minister Major. I'm going to wake up one morning, and there 
will be one of those things on the pillow. [Laughter]
    Q. And what will you say?
    The President. Whatever it is, it will be known to all of England. I 
told the press once that there had been this raging debate for 12 years 
in America over the constitutional right to privacy and what it meant, 
whether we should keep it and what it should extend to, and all while, 
the boom mike had been abolishing it with no one noticing. [Laughter]

Note: The exchange began at 8:05 p.m. in the Tin Angel Restaurant. A 
tape was not available for verification of the content of this exchange.