[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 30, Number 23 (Monday, June 13, 1994)]
[Page 1245]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Exchange With Reporters During a Meeting With Mayor Jacques Chirac of 
Paris, France

June 7, 1994

    The President. Good morning. How are you? It's a wonderful city. 
It's wonderful to be back.

Bosnia

    Q. Mr. President, do you think that the Bosnian Muslims should 
accept Akashi's proposal for a 4-month ceasefire?
    The President. Well, we'd very much like to see a cessation of the 
fighting, and we're working on it. Ambassador Redman is here today, and 
I hope to have a chance to talk to him about it. I think I should defer 
any other comments until I get a chance to get a direct briefing. But 
we're trying to work out our schedule so I can see him today and get a 
firsthand account.
    Anything we can do to stop the fighting, in my judgment, is a good 
thing.

France

    Q. Mr. President, how would you qualify the relationship between 
France and the United States today, as you are in Paris?
    The President. I think it's very good. And I think it will get 
better.

Bosnia

    Q. Mr. President, on Bosnia, is the French Government applying any 
kind of pressure on Washington to apply pressure on the Bosnian 
Government to accept the peace plan that is proposed----
    The President. Well, I wouldn't characterize it in that way. We're 
having discussions--I just talked with the mayor about it. And I intend 
to meet with the Prime Minister and the President today, and of course, 
to speak to the Assembly. But all of us want to try to bring an end to 
the fighting and have a settlement which can be a part of a 
comprehensive resolution to this.

North Korea

    Q. [Inaudible]--the North Koreans didn't show up to the armistice 
meeting today, do you see that as a provocation?
    The President. Excuse me, I didn't----
    Q. The North Koreans didn't turn up to the armistice meeting today. 
Do you see that as a provocation?
    The President. Not particularly. They've argued about the armistice 
setup for some years on and off. I don't--we're not in a good position 
there, as you know. Our relationships with them are not the best now 
because of this problem. And we're proceeding with the United Nations as 
we should. But I don't--this doesn't add any particular extra element to 
it.

Note: The President spoke at 10:51 a.m. in the U.S. Ambassador's 
residence. In his remarks, he referred to Yasushi Akashi, Special 
Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for the Former 
Yugoslavia, and Charles E. Redman, U.S. Special Envoy to the Conference 
on the Former Yugoslavia. A tape was not available for verification of 
the content of this exchange.